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Then  Colonel  Liscum  fell  to  rise  no  more. 


ON   TO   PEKIN 


Old  G\loby  in  China  p) 


BY 


EDWARD   STRATEMEYER 


/U 


A.UTHOK    OF   "UNDER    DEWEY  AT    MANILA,"    "A   YOUNG  VOLUNTEER   E* 

CUBA,"    "FIGHTING   IN   CUBAN  "WATERS,"  "UNDER  OTIS   IN  THE 

PHILIPPINES,"  "THE   CAMPAIGN   OF   THE   JUNGLE,"  "SHIP 

AND  SHORE  SERIES,"  "BOUND  TO  SUCCEED  SERIES," 

"  BETWEEN    BOER  AND    BRITON,"    ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED   BY  A.  B.  SHUTE 


: 


AFKV  i  ■ , U 

fty     "--  .    ; ... 

BOSTON 
LOTHROP,  LEE  &  SHEPARD  CO. 


COPTEIOHT,   1900,  B¥  LBS  AHD  ShBPABD. 


All  Sights  Reserved. 


Ox  to  Pekim. 


PREFACE 

"  On  to  Pekin  "  relates  the  adventures  of  a  young 
lieutenant  of  the  regulars,  who  is  sent  from  Manila 
to  Taku,  China,  to  participate  in  the  campaign  of  the 
allied  forces  of  the  United  States,  England,  France, 
Germany,  'Austria,  Italy,  Russia,  and  Japan  against 
the  Chinese  order  of  the  Boxers  and  those  govern- 
ment troops  of  the  Province  of  Shantung  who  aided 
in  the  great  rebellion  against  all  foreigners. 

In  the  story  are  related,  first,  the  bombardment  of 
the  Taku  forts  and  the  capturing  of  Taku  and 
Tongku ;  next  the  history  of  the  ill-fated  expedition 
under  Vice-Admiral  Seymour,  R.N.,  to  relieve  Pekin, 
and  the  bombardment  and  capture  of  Tien-Tsin ;  and, 
lastly,  that  bold  dash  of  the  Internationals  for  Pekin 
and  the  relief  of  the  consuls,  missionaries,  and  other 
foreigners  who  had  been  besieged  for  fifty-six  days. 

It  may  be  that  some  of  my  readers  will  think  Gil- 
bert Pennington  an  unusually  clever  officer,  and  one 
quite  young  to  be  occupying  the  position  of  lieutenant 

iil 


IV  PREFACE 

of  the  regulars.  But  it  must  be  remembered  that 
Gilbert  had  served  in  Cuba  with  the  Rough  Riders, 
and  in  the  Philippines  under  General  MacArthur  and 
General  Lawton,  and  that  he  took  to  army  service  as 
naturally  as  a  duck  takes  to  water.  He  was  one  of 
those  soldiers  of  whom  Grant  declared,  "  They  are 
born,  those  fellows,  not  made." 

The  campaign  in  China  has  been  as  short  as  it  was 
brilliant ;  and,  with  Earl  Li  Hung  Chang  and  others 
empowered  to  treat  for  peace  upon  almost  any  terms, 
it  is  to  be  hoped  that  a  permanent  settlement  will  be 
made,  which  will  insure  both  foreigners  and  China 
against  all  further  trouble.  "War,  at  its  best,  is  a  ter- 
rible thing;  and  the  less  our  country  has  of  it,  the 
better  it  will  be  for  our  people. 

Once  more  thanking  my  young  friends  for  the  in- 
terest they  have  shown  in  my  previous  stories,  I  place 
this  volume  in  their  hands,  trusting  they  will  find  its 
perusal  both  pleasurable  and  full  of  profit. 


EDWARD  STRATEMEYER. 


Newaek,  N.J., 
Oct.  4, 1900. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  Introducing  the  Young  Lieutenant     .    .  1 

II.  Close  Quartees  in  the  Jungle      ....  10 

III.  Something  about  the  People  of  China    .  20 

IV.  Captain  Ponsbebby  has  his  Say   ....  81 
V.  Gilbert  meets  Nuggy  Polk 41 

VI.  Off  foe  China 51 

VII.  What  caused  the  War 80 

VIII.  A  Discoveey  on  Shipboard 70 

IX.  GlLBEET  BEACHES  A   CONCLUSION 80 

X.  About  an  Impoetant  Lettee  ......  92 

XI.  The  Relief  of  Admieal  Seymour's  Paety,  102 

XII.  A  Stoem  and  a  Quaeeel 112 

XIII.  The  Landing  at  Tongku 123 

XIV.  A  Piest  Battle  on  Chinese  Soil    ....  133 
XV.  Fighting  along  the  Pei-Ho 144 

XVI.  Enteeing  Tien-Tsin  under  Difficulties    .  154 

XVII.  Gilbeet  meets  Amos  Bartlett 164 

XVIII.  The  Spy  in  the  Eiver 174 

XIX  Saving  the  Mission  House 187 

XX.  The  Bombardment  of  Tien-Tsin     ....  198 

XXT,  Charging  upon  the  Native  Quarter    .    .  210 
v 


VI  CONTENTS 

OHAPTEB  PAGE 

XXII.  An  Adventure  in  a  Joss  House     ....  220 

XXIII.  Gilbert's  Nabbow  Escape 229 

XXIV.  Nuggy  Polk's  Set-back 239 

XXV.     "OntoPekin!" 250 

XXVI.    The  Battle  of  Peitsang 260 

XXVII.    A  Kainy  March  to  Tung-Chow 269 

XXVIII.    The  Fight  befobe  Pektn 279 

XXIX.  How  the  Besieged  webe  believed    .    .    .  286 

XXX.  The  Bubning  of  the  Pbison  ......  296 

XXXI.  GlLBEBT  BETUBNS  GOOD  FOB  EVIL     ....  305 

XXXII.    Back  to  Taktj— Conclusion 317 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTKATIONS 


"  Then  Colonel  Liscum  fell  to  rise  no  more  "      .    .    Frontispiece 

PAGE 

"'You'll  be  all  right  if  you'll  only  stand  up' " 45 

"  Nuggy  Polk  was  making  off  down  the  dim  passageway  "   .        98 

"The  yellow  man  was  on  the  point  of  blazing  away  at 

Gilbert's  ear  " 145 

" 'See  anything  unusual?' "  he  asked 180 

"  The  Boxer  kicked  the  prostrate  officer  in  the  side  "      .    .  230 

"  It  was  now  a  hand  to  hand  contest " 271 

"  'I'll  save  him  anyway,'  he  thought " 308 


vtt 


ON  TO  PEKIN 


CHAPTER   I 

INTRODUCING   THE   YOUNG    LIEUTENANT 

"I  say,  Lieutenant  Pennington,  have  you  heard 
the  news?" 

"That  depends  upon  what  the  news  is,  major. 
Do  you  mean  that  we  are  ordered  back  to  Manila  ?  " 

"  I  mean  a  good  deal  more  than  that,  lieutenant. 
We  are  ordered  to  China." 

"  China !  "  And  Lieutenant  Gilbert  Pennington, 
formerly  of  the  volunteers  and  now  of  the  regulars 
stationed  on  the  island  of  Luzon,  leaped  up  from  the 
camp  stool  upon  which  he  had  been  sitting,  and 
gazed  at  his  old  friend,  Major  Morris,  as  if  he  had 
not  heard  aright.  "  Who  told  you  such  a  fairy  tale 
as  that?" 

1 


2  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"  It's  the  truth,  Pennington.  I  got  it  direct  from 
the  colonel.  We  are  to  proceed  to  Manila  without 
delay,  and  there  take  the  Logan  or  some  other  trans- 
port direct  for  China." 

"And  what  are  we  going  to  do  in  China?  Has 
Uncle  Sam  declared  war  on  the  heathen?" 

"  Hardly  that,  I  imagine.  But  you  know  the  mis- 
sionaries and  other  foreigners  are  having  a  lot  of 
trouble  with  the  Boxers,  as  they  are  called;  and  I 
reckon  our  government  wants  some  soldiers  on  hand 
in  case  matters  get  worse." 

"  Yes,  I've  heard  about  the  Boxers,  although  I 
don't  exactly  know  what  they  are." 

"  They  call  themselves  a  band  of  Patriots,  but  in 
reality  they  are  a  secret  society  having  for  its  object 
the  extermination  of  all  foreigners  in  the  Celestial 
Kingdom.  They  are  the  worst  cut-throats  in  China, 
so  I  have  been  told." 

"  Well,  this  is  certainly  news, "  mused  Gilbert 
Pennington.  "  I  had  an  idea  that  my  fighting  days 
were  about  over  for  the  present.  I  never  dreamed  I 
should  be  sent  away  from  the  Philippines  excepting 
it  would  be  back  to  the  States." 

"  I  hope  the  prospect  doesn't  displease  you,"  went 


INTRODUCING   THE   YOUNG    LIEUTENANT  3 

on  Major  Morris,  earnestly.  "  For  myself  I  am  thor- 
oughly delighted.  I  am  getting  tired  of  hanging 
around  Tarlac.  We  haven't  had  a  brush  with  the 
Filipino  guerillas  for  three  weeks,  and  that  last  en- 
gagement didn't  amount  to  anything." 

"  Major,  you  are  a  fighting  man  through  and 
through  I"  laughed  the  young  lieutenant.  "I  be- 
lieve you  would  rather  fight  than  eat." 

"Hardly  that,  Pennington;  but  I  must  confess 
to  a  weakness  for  an  occasional  engagement."  The 
major  of  the  first  battalion  twisted  his  mustache 
meditatively.  "Between  you  and  me,  privately 
speaking,  I  think  we  have  a  long,  hard  campaign  be- 
fore us." 

"I  can't  understand  it.  If  the  Chinese  govern- 
ment isn't  in  with  the  Boxers,  why  doecn't  it  suppress 
the  society,  and  protect  our  citizens  and  the  citizens 
of  other  nations  ?  " 

"  That's  the  conundrum,  lieutenant.  I  was  talk- 
ing to  the  colonel  about  it ;  and  he  says  his  opinion  is 
that  the  Chinese  government,  instead  of  suppressing 
the  Boxers,  is  secretly  aiding  them.  The  Chinese 
don't  want  any  foreigners  in  China,  and  this  out- 
break was  bound  to  come  sooner  or  later." 


4  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"  If  they  don't  want  any  foreigners,  why  did  they 
allow  them  in  the  country  in  the  first  place  ?  " 

"I  presume  they  didn't  imagine  the  foreigners 
would  pour  in  so  rapidly,  or  that  they  would  advo- 
cate so  many  changes  in  business,  religion,  and  other 
things.  You  see,  the  Chinaman  sticks  to  ancient 
things,  and  wants  to  do  just  as  his  father,  his  grand- 
father, and  his  great-grandfather  did." 

"  Has  there  been  any  fighting  there  yet  ?  " 

"I  can't  say  as  to  that.  But  the  other  nations 
are  hurrying  troops  to  the  scene ;  and,  when  we 
get  there,  we  are  to  form  part  of  an  Allied  Army, 
composed  of  English,  German,  French,  Japanese,  and 
other  nations." 

"  Then  it  will  be  China  against  the  world." 

"  That's  about  the  size  of  it.  If  we  fight  side  by 
side  with  the  other  nations,  it  will  be  rather  a  new 
experience  for  our  troops." 

"Right  you  are,  major."  The  young  lieutenant 
gazed  doubtfully  at  his  dirty  and  ragged  khaki 
uniform  and  the  shoes  which  had  been  patched  until 
there  was  hardly  any  of  the  original  leather  left. 
"  But  we  ought  to  have  new  outfits  before  we  go." 

"No  doubt  General  MacArthur  will  see  that  we 


INTRODUCING   THE   YOUNG   LIEUTENANT  & 

get  them.  He  will  want  Uncle  Sam's  boys  to  look 
as  well  as  the  soldiers  of  any  other  nation." 

"Are  any  of  the  volunteers  going?" 

"  Not  for  the  present.  But  there  is  no  telling  how 
many  of  the  troops  will  have  to  go  before  the  trouble 
in  China  is  over,"  concluded  Major  Morris,  as  he 
walked  on,  to  spread  the  news  among  his  other 
brother  officers. 

Gilbert  Pennington  was  a  young  man  of  Southern 
blood  who  had  drifted  into  the  army  more  because  of 
his  intense  patriotism  than  for  any  desire  to  become 
a  fighter  of  men.  He  was  from  Richmond,  Virginia ; 
and,  upon  the  death  of  his  parents  and  several  near 
relatives,  he  had  wandered  around  from  one  place  to 
another,  made  a  trip  to  the  West  Indies,  and  then 
gone  to  New  York  to  settle  down  in  business  as 
a  book-keeper. 

While  in  New  York,  the  War  with  Spain  broke 
out;  and  along  with  his  intimate  friend,  Ben 
Russell,  Gilbert  joined  the  volunteer  service,  and 
served  in  Cuba  as  one  of  Roosevelt's  Rough  Riders, 
as  related  in  one  of  my  previous  books,  entitled  "A 
Young  Volunteer  in  Cuba.  " 

Shortly  after  his  return  from  Cuba  the  troubles  in 


6  ON   TO   PEKIN 

the  Philippines  broke  out ;  and  once  again  Gilbert  en- 
listed, this  time  in  the  infantry,  and,  accompanied 
by  Ben  Russell  and  his  brother  Larry,  journeyed 
to  Luzon,  there  to  serve  under  Generals  Otis  and 
MacArthur  and  the  much-lamented  General  Law- 
ton.  Many  of  his  adventures  of  those  stirring  times 
will  be  found  set  forth  in  "  Under  Otis  in  the  Philip- 
pines "  and  later  volumes  of  my  "  Old  Glory  Series." 

But  the  rebellion  in  the  Pliilippines  was  now 
practically  over,  and  all  the  soldiers  had  to  do  was 
to  guard  against  the  wandering  bands  of  insurgents 
who  carried  on  a  sort  of  guerilla  warfare  whenever 
the  opportunity  offered.  The  season  had  been  a 
very  rainy  one,  and  roads  and  fields  were  so  covered 
with  water  and  liquid  mud  that  passage  from  one 
district  to  another  was  well-nigh  impossible.  The 
tiny  mountain  streams  were  swollen  to  rushing  tor- 
rents, and  in  many  places  to  bridge  them  over 
seemed  impossible. 

Gilbert  had  been  mustered  into  the  regular  service 
several  months  before ;  and,  for  bravery  performed  in 
the  capture  of  the  Filipino  leader,  General  Adoz,  he 
had  been  promoted  to  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant  of 
Company  A,  of  the  first  battalion.     Major  Morris  had 


INTRODUCING    THE   YOUNG    LIEUTENANT  7 

come  into  the  regulars  at  the  same  time,  and  now 
commanded  the  battalion,  although  really  holding  the 
rank  of  captain.  To  my  young  readers  let  me  ex- 
plain that  this  meant  that,  while  he  commanded  as  a 
major,  he  received  as  yet  only  the  pay  of  a  captain. 

The  news  that  his  regiment  was  going  to  China 
filled  Gilbert  with  interest,  and  for  several  reasons. 
In  the  first  place,  he  was  rather  tired  of  the  Philip- 
pines, and  had  thought  more  than  once  that  he  had 
made  a  mistake  by  joining  the  regulars  instead  of 
embarking  for  home,  as  many  of  his  fellow-soldiers 
had  done.  He  had  campaigned  in  intense  heat  until 
ready  to  faint  with  exhaustion,  and  the  heavy  rains 
of  the  wet  season  had  found  the  camp  literally 
drowned  out  more  than  once.  He  had  been  shot, 
and  had  lain  in  the  hospital  for  weeks,  so  it  was 
small  wonder  that  he  occasionally  sighed  for  a  bit  of 
ordinary  life  again.  Following  the  flag  is  not  all 
glory. 

But  now  something  new  was  promised.  He  was 
to  visit  a  strange  country,  and  perhaps  fight  side  by 
side  with  soldiers  from  other  parts  of  the  world. 
More  than  this,  he  might  have  a  chance  to  find  Mr. 
Amos  Bartlett. 


8  ON   TO   PEKIN 

Years  previous  to  the  opening  of  this  story,  Mr. 
Amos  Bartlett  had  been  in  business  with  Jefferson 
Pennington,  Gilbert's  father.  The  two  had  owned 
several  extensive  tobacco  warehouses  in  Richmond, 
and  later  on  had  branched  out  into  the  tea  and 
coffee  trade.  The  business  had  grown  to  such  pro- 
portions that  it  was  formed  into  a  stock  concern 
called  the  Richmond  Importing  Company.  At  the 
time  the  company  had  been  formed,  Mr.  Pennington 
had  died;  and  shortly  after  this  Mr.  Amos  Bartlett 
had  gone  to  Tien-Tsin,  China,  to  live,  taking  with 
him  his  wife  and  his  little  daughter,  Jennie. 

When  it  came  to  a  settlement  of  Jefferson  Pen- 
nington's affairs,  no  satisfactory  accounting  could  be 
obtained  from  the  Richmond  Importing  Company, 
and  a  lawsuit  instituted  by  Gilbert's  mother  fell 
through  for  the  lack  of  evidence.  Amos  Bartlett 
had  been  written  to,  but  was  down  with  the  fever 
in  Tien-Tsin,  and  could  give  no  evidence.  The  men 
at  the  head  of  the  newly  formed  company  were 
sharpers  from  New  Orleans ;  and  in  the  end  Mrs. 
Pennington  had  received  only  two  thousand  dollars 
in  cash  for  her  stock,  while  she  was  fully  satisfied  in 
her  own  mind   that  the  amount  due  her  husband's 


INTRODUCING    THE    YOUNG    LIEUTENANT  9 

estate  had  been  twenty  to  thirty  thousand  dollars. 
She  had  no  other  money  than  that  received  from  the 
company,  and  this  was  not  enough  to  support  her  for 
long ;  and  she  died  two  years  later,  poor  and  broken- 
hearted, leaving  Gilbert,  then  a  lad  of  twelve,  to  the 
care  of  an  aged  aunt,  with  whom  he  lived  for  four 
years,  when  he  left  home  to  strike  out  for  himself. 

Gilbert  had  often  thought  to  hunt  up  Mr.  Amos 
Bartlett,  and  see  if  something  could  not  be  done 
toward  getting  the  balance  of  the  money  due  his 
father's  estate.  But  China  was  a  long  way  off ;  and 
from  some  friends  he  learned  that  Mr.  Bartlett  had 
left  Tien-Tsin,  and  gone  into  the  interior,  and  that  his 
present  whereabouts  was  unknown.  Moreover,  the 
war  in  Cuba  and  in  the  Philippines  had  driven 
everything  else  out  of  his  head,  and  he  had  taken 
matters  as  they  had  come. 

"  But,  if  I  get  the  chance,  I'm  going  to  hunt  him 
up,"  said  the  young  lieutenant  to  himself.  "  And,  if 
I  find  him,  I'll  make  him  tell  me  all  about  the  doings 
of  the  Richmond  Importing  Company  or  else  know 
the  reason  why.  I'm  bound  to  have  that  money,  if 
there  is  any  of  it  coming  to  me." 


CHAPTER  II 

CLOSE   QUARTERS   IN   THE   JUNGLE 

"  Boys,  we  leave  to-day  for  Manila." 

It  was  Captain  Banner  of  Gilbert's  company  who 
spoke,  addressing  a  dozen  or  more  of  his  command, 
who  were  squatting  around  a  camp-fire  built  near 
the  shelter  of  an  overhanging  cliff.  Close  to  the 
camp-fire  were  half  a  dozen  rude  shacks  which  the 
regulars  had  erected  for  comfort  while  stopping  in 
the  neighborhood,  they  preferring  the  rude  huts  to 
their  own  torn  and  dilapidated  tents. 

"  Und  how  soon  vos  ve  goin'  py  China,  captain  ?  " 
asked  Carl  Stummer,  a  German  volunteer  who  had 
enlisted  in  Company  A  soon  after  his  old  friend  Gil- 
bert had  become  lieutenant. 

"  Just  as  soon  as  orders  come  from  headquarters, 
Stummer.  Are  you  anxious  to  get  on  new  fighting 
ground  ?  " 

"  Veil,  captain,  I  ton't  vos  barticularly  anxious  for 
new  fightin'  ground ;  but  I  vos  anxious  for  ground 
vot  ain't  vet   a  foot  deep  all  der  dime,"  answered 

10 


CLOSE  QUABTERS  IN  THE  JUNGLE       11 

Stummer,  with  a  broad  grin.  "  Last  night  I  dream 
me  I  vos  in  Noah's  ark,  und  der  ark  got  sunk,  und  I 
vent  overboard.  Ven  I  vake  up,  I  vos  on  mine  pack 
in  vater  most  a  foot  teep." 

"  I  hope  you  swam  for  your  life,  Carl,"  put  in  Gil- 
bert, while  a  laugh  went  up. 

"He  can't  swim,  bedad,"  added  Dan  Casey,  an 
Irish  soldier,  who  had  been  a  friend  to  Stummer  for 
years.  "  Don't  ye  remimber  how  Captain  Ben 
Russell  —  he  was  only  a  common  sodger  thin  — 
hauled  him  out  av  the  waters  av  New  York  Bay,  an' 
was  arristed  fer  doin'  it,  bekase  the  colonel  thought 
he  was  afther  tryin'  to  desert  whin  he  jumped  over- 
board." 

"I  vos  learn  me  how  to  schwim  since  den,"  re- 
plied Stummer,  gravely.  "  Of  I  didn't  learn,  I  vos 
drown  more  as  fifty  dimes  ofer  here  alretty."  And 
again  a  laugh  went  up. 

Tents  were  to  be  struck  at  noon,  sharp  ;  and  soon 
the  camp  was  a  busy  place,  as  the  soldier  boys  began 
to  gather  together  their  few  belongings.  Although 
it  was  raining  lightly,  guns  had  to  be  cleaned, 
swords  polished,  and  uniforms  brushed  up  as  much 
as  possible. 


12  ON  TO  PEKIN 

The  news  had  travelled  swiftly  that  the  regiment 
was  ordered  to  China ;  and  many  of  the  officers  and 
men  of  other  commands  close  by  came  in  to  verify 
the  report,  and  to  say  good-by  to  their  friends. 
Several  came  to  see  Gilbert  and  wish  him  the  best 
of  luck,  for  he  had  always  been  popular. 

"  I  thrust  we'll  be  afther  seem'  Captain  Russell  in 
Manila,"  said  Dan  Casey  to  the  young  lieutenant. 
"  I  wouldn't  loike  to  go  away  widout  sayin'  him  fare- 
well." Casey  and  Stummer  had  both  been  members 
of  Ben  Russell's  company  of  volunteers  before  join- 
ing the  regulars. 

"  Yes,  I  hope  we  do  see  him,  and  Larry,  too,"  an- 
swered Gilbert.  "  I  would  give  a  good  deal  to  have 
the  Russells  go  along."  But  this  was  not  to  be,  as 
the  duty  of  the  Russell  boys  lay  elsewhere. 

The  colonel  of  the  command  was  a  stickler  for 
military  discipline ;  and  promptly  at  twelve  the 
regiment  moved,  or  at  least  the  two  battalions 
which  were  located  in  that  neighborhood.  The 
third  battalion  had  gone  up  in  the  mountains  to 
the  southward,  and  a  special  message  had  been  sent 
to  it  to  rejoin  the  main  command  at  the  earliest 
opportunity. 


CLOSE  QUAKTBES  IN  THE  JUNGLE      13 

The  light  rain  soon  gave  way  to  a  steady  down- 
pour, which  threatened  to  become  a  deluge  before 
nightfall;  and  in  many  spots  the  soldiers  had  to 
leave  the  road  and  take  to  the  paddy  fields,  the  thin 
crust  of  ground  and  growth  of  the  one  being  prefer- 
able to  the  oozy,  sticky  mud  of  the  other.  The 
caribao  carts,  piled  high  with  the  camping  outfit, 
lumbered  along  with  difficulty ;  and  at  every  quarter 
of  a  mile  one  or  another  got  stuck,  and  had  to  be 
helped  out  of  its  difficulty. 

"This  is  hardly  a  march  to  victory,  lieutenant," 
observed  Captain  Banner,  as  he  ranged  alongside  of 
his  second  in  command. 

"  I  don't  believe  any  of  us  will  want  a  bath  for 
a  month  after  this  rain  stops,"  returned  Gilbert 
grimly,  "at  least,  not  from  the  knees  up." 

"  It  is  well  you  qualified  your  first  remark,"  said 
the  captain,  who  was  a  West  Point  graduate,  a  well- 
read  officer,  and  a  first-rate  fellow.  "  From  my  knees 
down  I  feel  as  if  I  had  been  wandering  around  in  an 
ocean  of  filthy  pitch.  It  seems  to  me  the  natives 
ought  to  be  able  to  make  bricks  of  this  sticky  mud 
without  half  trying." 

"  We  are  going  to  have  some  fun  when  we  reach 


14  ON    TO    PEKIN 

the  river  a  mile  below  here,"  put  in  Major  Morris, 
who  had  also  come  up.  "Captain  Anderson  came 
over  last  night,  and  he  said  it  was  running  at  a  fearful 
rate  then." 

"  And  what  about  that  new  bridge  we  worked  so 
hard  to  put  up  ?  "  asked  the  young  lieutenant. 

"  It's  completely  swept  away.  The  captain  thought 
the  storm  had  done  it,  but  I  think  the  guerillas 
helped  matters  along.  They  hate  us  worse  than  they 
hate  poison." 

"  I  suppose  they  reckon  we  have  kept  them  from  a 
good  deal  of  booty,"  said  Gilbert.  "  Well,  we  have, 
for  a  fact." 

The  storm  now  became  so  violent  that  conversa- 
tion could  be  carried  on  only  with  difficulty,  and 
presently  the  party  relapsed  into  silence.  The  route 
step  had  been  ordered  at  the  very  start ;  and  all  of 
the  regulars  were  marching  to  suit  themselves,  al- 
though keeping  something  of  a  semblance  to  a 
column  of  fours. 

At  last  the  river  was  gained,  and  a  halt  was  ordered, 
—  an  unnecessary  command,  since  none  of  the  troops 
could  go  forward.  The  stream  was  running  two  feet 
deep  over  its  ordinary  banks,  and  swirling  along  with 


CLOSE    QUARTERS    IN    THE    JUNGLE  15 

the  rapidity  of  a  mill-race.  It  was  fully  sixty  feet 
wide,  and  just  deep  enough  in  the  middle  to  be  dan- 
gerous. 

As  the  bridge  was  gone,  it  was  determined  to  look 
for  a  suitable  fording-place,  and  Gilbert  was  placed 
in  command  of  a  detachment  to  ascend  the  river-bank 
for  that  purpose.  The  course  of  the  soldiers,  six  in 
number,  lay  over  a  series  of  rough  rocks,  and  then 
through  a  small  jungle  opening  upon  an  abandoned 
rice  field. 

"  If  the  guerillas  destroyed  that  bridge,  we  want  to 
keep  our  eyes  open,"  was  Gilbert's  comment  to  his 
men,  as  they  scrambled  over  the  rocks,  in  Indian  file. 
"  They  don't  travel  far  in  the  rain,  and  they  may  be 
close  at  hand." 

"  I  dink  I  see  me  somepoddy  chust  ahead ! "  ex- 
claimed Carl  Stummer,  in  a  low  voice.  He  was  in  the 
lead  of  the  privates,  and  carried  his  rifle,  ready  for 
use.     "  Look  !  "  he  cried  suddenly. 

Gilbert  gazed  in  the  direction,  and  made  out  several 
forms ;  but  all  disappeared  before  he  could  get  a  good 
view  of  them. 

"  Thim  was  th'  Dagoes !  "  cried  Dan  Casey,  using 
the  common  soldier's  term  for  Filipinos.     "  I  wisht  I'd 


16  ON   TO   PEKIN 

got  a  bead  on  'em!  I'd  a-laid  wan  of  thim  low,  I'll 
bet  me  nixt  wages  !  " 

"  To  cover ! "  shouted  Gilbert,  and  pointed  to  the 
nearest  bit  of  jungle.  The  little  party  ran  at  once  in 
the  direction,  but  before  the  shelter  of  the  brush  was 
gained  several  shots  rang  out,  the  bullets  clipping  the 
branches  of  the  nearest  trees. 

The  attack  came  as  a  surprise ;  but  the  young  lieu- 
tenant was  not  sorry  that  the  volley  had  been  fired, 
since  it  would  notify  his  comrades  in  arms  that  some- 
thing was  wrong.  Scarcely  had  the  volley  ended 
when  Dan  Casey  fired  in  return ;  but,  if  he  hit  any 
one,  the  enemy  gave  no  sign. 

The  jungle  gained, —  it  was  a  small  patch  less  than 
an  acre  in  extent,  facing  the  river, —  Gilbert  ordered 
his  men  to  lie  down  and  keep  strict  watch  on  all 
sides,  while  he  himself  moved  close  to  the  water's 
edge.  A  sudden  idea  had  popped  into  his  head,  and 
he  wished  to  learn  if  his  surmise  was  correct. 

In  order  to  obtain  a  clear  view  of  the  river,  he  had 
to  wade  into  the  water  overrunning  the  bank  to  the 
depth  of  a  foot  and  more,  in  the  mean  time  breaking 
his  way  through  vines  and  creepers,  which  formed  a 
perfect  network  amid  the  tropical  trees.  He  advanced 


CLOSE  QUARTERS  IN  THE  JUNGLE      17 

as  cautiously  as  he  could,  and,  reaching  an  opening  at 
last,  peeped  forth  with  care. 

He  had  been  right  in  his  guess.  The  Filipino  guer- 
illas, some  twenty  in  number,  had  encamped  in 
another  patch  of  jungle  a  hundred  yards  further  up 
the  river ;  and  now  several  of  the  party  were  crossing 
the  stream  in  two  cascoes,  as  the  native  small  boats 
are  named.  A  rope  was  stretched  from  shore  to 
shore,  and  a  man  in  each  caseo  was  hauling  his  craft 
along  this  by  hand. 

"  If  only  I  had  the  whole  company  here  !  "  thought 
the  young  lieutenant.  He  felt  that,  if  this  were  so,  he 
could  readily  "  bag  "  every  one  of  the  insurgents. 

The  thought  had  scarcely  crossed  his  mind  when 
two  more  rifle-shots  rang  out,  followed  by  a  cry  from 
Stummer. 

"  Der  repels  vos  running  py  der  rifer !  "  came  from 
the  German  soldier.  "  Shall  ve  go  after  dem,  lieu- 
tenant ?  " 

"No,  wait ! "  ordered  Gilbert.  He  turned  to  Dan 
Casey.  "  Go  back  as  fast  as  you  can,  and  report  a 
body  of  twenty  guerillas  about  to  cross  the  river  in 
two  boats.  We  can  round  them  up  if  we  are  re- 
enforced  immediately." 


18  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"  I'll  run  wid  might  an'  main,"  answered  the 
Irish  soldier,  and  set  off  with  leaps  and  bounds  over 
the  rocks  in  the  direction  whence  he  had  come.  The 
Filipinos  saw  him,  and  opened  fire  on  him ;  but  he  got 
out  of  range  uninjured. 

As  soon  as  Casey  was  gone,  Gilbert  called  his  de- 
tachment to  his  side,  and  pointed  out  the  cascoes. 

"  Those  men  must  not  be  allowed  to  reach  the 
other  river-bank,"  he  said. 

"  And  they  won't  reach  it,  hear  me  ! "  cried  one  of 
the  regulars,  a  tall  Westerner;  and,  taking  aim  at 
the  man  at  the  rope  in  the  leading  boat,  he  fired. 
As  the  report  rang  out,  the  man  fell,  shot  through 
the  shoulder;  and  the  caseo  began  to  drift  rapidly 
down  stream. 

The  other  regulars  also  opened  fire ;  and  soon  the 
ropeman  of  the  second  casco  was  likewise  laid  low, 
and  that  boat  began  to  drift  after  the  other.  But 
the  craft  was  still  close  to  shore ;  and,  as  soon  as 
their  leader  was  shot  down,  the  other  two  occupants 
leaped  into  the  water  and  mud,  and  struck  out  for 
the  jungle  which  now  concealed  the  rest  of  the 
guerillas,  who  had  lost  no  time  in  disappearing  after 
the  first  volley  from  the  Americans. 


CLOSE  QUARTERS  IN  THE  JUNGLE       19 

Left  to  its  own  devices,  the  first  boat  came  down 
the  river  rapidly,  sometimes  swinging  to  one  side 
and  then  to  the  other,  and  once  turning  around  com- 
pletely in  the  strong  current.  It  held  two  uninjured 
rebels,  who  for  the  time  being  seemed  to  be  bewil- 
dered by  the  turn  of  affairs. 

As  the  casco  approached  the  spot  where  Gilbert 
stood,  a  sudden  turn  of  the  river  current  forced  it  to 
shore.  It  swept  under  some  overhanging  trees ;  and 
one  of  the  insurgents  immediately  grasped  some 
vines,  and  pulled  the  craft  still  further  to  land. 

"  Leap  for  your  life,  Garro ! "  shouted  one  of  the 
pair,  in  Spanish;  and  an  instant  later  both  sprang 
out  on  the  river-bank  in  water  up  to  their  knees,  and 
directly  in  front  of  the  young  lieutenant.  One  held 
a  gun  in  his  hand,  and  the  other  a  pistol ;  and  in 
a  trice  both  weapons  were  levelled  at  Gilbert's  head. 


CHAPTER  III 

SOMETHING   ABOUT   THE   PEOPLE   OF   CHINA 

Gilbert  Pennington  had  been  in  many  close 
quarters  before,  and  these  had  taught  him  the  valu- 
able lesson  of  being  on  his  guard  at  all  times. 

Consequently,  when  the  two  rebels  faced  him,  they 
found  him  with  pistol  drawn,  and,  before  either  of 
the  enemy  could  fire,  the  young  lieutenant  blazed 
away.  He  shot  to  kill,  knowing  only  too  well  that 
his  lif  e  hung  in  the  balance ;  and  the  rebel  with  the 
pistol  went  down,  with  a  bullet  in  his  breast,  seri- 
ously, if  not  mortally,  wounded.  The  Filipino's 
weapon  went  off  as  he  fell,  but  the  bullet  spent  itself 
in  the  air  above  the  little  jungle. 

Meanwhile,  however,  the  second  rebel  was  not 
idle ;  and,  though  Gilbert  leaped  to  one  side  to  avoid 
being  made  a  target  of,  he  received  a  ball  from  the 
gun  in  his  shoulder, —  a  flesh  wound,  painful,  but  of 
not  much  consequence. 

The  shot  in  the  magazine  rifle  was  evidently  the 

20 


SOMETHING   ABOUT   TELE   PEOPLE   OP   CHINA      21 

last  one ;  for ,  having  fired  it,  the  Filipino  closed  in  by 
aiming  a  blow  at  Gilbert's  head  with  the  stock  of  his 
weapon.  The  blow  did  not  land  as  intended ;  but  it 
struck  the  young  lieutenant's  arm,  and  his  pistol  was 
knocked  skyward  just  as  he  was  on  the  point  of  pull- 
ing the  trigger  a  second  time. 

All  of  these  movements  had  taken  but  a  few 
seconds  of  time  to  execute ;  and  none  of  Gilbert's 
men  knew  what  was  occurring  until  they  followed 
the  sounds  of  the  shots,  and  found  the  young  lieu- 
tenant in  a  hand-to-hand  encounter  with  the  rebel 
over  the  possession  of  the  Mauser  rifle.  The  rebel 
was  a  powerful  fellow,  much  older  than  Gilbert,  and 
heavier;  and  he  was  rapidly  getting  the  better  of 
the  encounter,  when  Carl  Stummer  came  up  on  the 
run. 

"  Drop  dot ! "  roared  the  German  soldier ;  and, 
taking  aim,  he  fired  on  the  Filipino,  hitting  him  in 
the  knee.  At  once  the  man  sank  down,  moaning 
with  pain;  and  the  gun  came  into  Gilbert's  posses- 
sion. 

A  moment  later  a  shouting  was  heard  from  down 
the  river;  and  two  companies  of  the  regulars  came  up 
the  bank  through  the  water  and  mud,  and  over  the 


22  ON   TO   PEKIN 

rocks,  as  speedily  as  the  state  of  the  situation  per- 
mitted. They  soon  caught  sight  of  the  insurgents, 
and  opened  a  well-directed  fire,  at  which  the  enemy 
took  to  their  heels  with  all  possible  speed. 

"  I  owe  you  one  for  that,  Stummer,"  said  Gilbert, 
as  soon  as  he  saw  that  the  man  before  him  was  out 
of  the  contest  for  good.  "  You  came  up  in  the  nick 
of  time." 

"  Dot's  all  right,"  answered  the  private,  modestly. 
"  But  say  1  ton't  ve  besser  safe  dot  poat  ?  " 

"  To  be  sure,  we'll  save  the  boat,"  cried  Gilbert  ; 
and,  leaping  out  into  the  stream,  he  secured  it,  and 
tied  it  fast  to  one  of  the  trees. 

The  rain  was  now  coming  down  harder  than  ever, 
and  this  rendered  the  pursuit  of  the  rebels  very 
difficult;  yet  it  was  felt  that  they  must  not  be  al- 
lowed to  get  away,  and  the  whole  of  the  first  bat- 
talion were  sent  after  them,  leaving  the  second 
battalion  to  cross  the  stream  in  four  cascoes  which 
the  insurgents  had  possessed. 

Being  wounded,  Gilbert  was  not  called  upon  to 
take  part  in  the  pursuit  of  the  fleeing  guerillas ;  for 
such  they  properly  were,  having  no  regular  military 
organization.     He  walked  around  until  he  found  the 


SOMETHING   ABOUT   THE   PEOPLE   OF   CHINA      23 

surgeon  of  the  regiment,  who  bound  up  the  wound, 
after  washing  and  probing  it. 

"  It  was  a  narrow  shave  for  you,  lieutenant,"  said 
Surgeon  Gilson.  "A  little  lower,  and  you  would 
have  been  a  dead  man." 

"Well,  they  say  a  miss  is  as  good  as  a  mile," 
responded  Gilbert,  with  a  faint  smile.  "But  I  am 
thankful  to  God  that  I  escaped,"  he  added  earnestly. 

It  was  nightfall  before  the  second  battalion  was 
landed  over  the  river ;  and  then  the  other  regular 
companies  came  in,  bringing  with  them  nine  prisoners, 
including  two  that  were  wounded.  The  battalion 
had  had  several  men  wounded,  but  none  seriously. 

"  I  fancy  this  is  our  last  round-up  in  Luzon,"  said 
Major  Morris  to  Captain  Banner  and  Gilbert.  "If 
all  goes  well,  we  ought  to  reach  Manila  by  to-morrow 
evening." 

The  night  was  spent  in  the  village  of  Giguenen, 
where  there  was  a  small  garrison  of  American  volun- 
teers ;  and  here  the  prisoners  were  lodged  in  the 
local  jail,  until  the  authorities  at  Manila  should 
decide  what  was  to  be  done  with  them. 

The  storm  cleared  away  during  the  night;  and 
travelling  the  next   day  was,  consequently,  a  little 


24  ON   TO   PEKIN 

better,  although  the  roads  were  still  almost  impass- 
able. In  some  spots  the  carts  could  not  get  through 
with  their  loads;  and  the  men  had  to  "ferry"  the 
goods  across,  the  turnouts  coming  over  empty. 

"  I  believe  the  Philippines  want  good  roads  more 
than  anything  else,"  observed  Gilbert.  "  In  all  the 
time  I've  been  here  I've  hardly  seen  a  decent  high- 
way outside  of  Manila." 

"  We  are  bound  for  a  country  where  the  roads 
are  still  worse,"  returned  Captain  Banner.  "I've 
been  reading  up  on  China  lately,  and  I've  learned 
that  there  is  hardly  a  respectable  highway  in  the 
whole  Celestial  Kingdom.  Even  the  streets  of 
Pekin,  the  great  capital,  are  out  of  repair,  and  have 
been  for  centuries." 

"And  yet  Chinese  labor  costs  next  to  nothing. 
I  can't  understand  it." 

"The  common  people  don't  want  to  pay  out  a 
single  cash  for  public  improvements,  that's  the  reason. 
Besides  that,  there  comes  up  the  old  Chinese  saying 
that  'what  was  good  enough  for  my  father  and 
grandfather  is  good  enough  for  me.' " 

"  They  must  be  a  terribly  backward  nation." 

"  Backward  doesn't  express  it,  lieutenant.     They 


SOMETHING   ABOUT   THE   PEOPLE   OF   CHINA      25 

are  so  out  of  date  that  they  are  actually  musty. 
And  the  worst  of  it  is,  because  their  history  dates 
back  so  much  further  than  ours, —  several  thousand 
years  before  Christ, —  they  imagine  they  know  it  all 
and  are  really  a  superior  people." 

"  I  am  almost  ashamed  to  confess  it,  but  I  am  very 
backward  on  the  geography  of  China,"  went  on 
Gilbert.  "I  know  it's  a  mighty  big  country  and 
swarming  with  millions  of  people,  and  that  is  about 
all  I  do  know." 

"  Yes,  it  is  a  big  country ;  for  its  area  is  about  five 
millions  of  square  miles,  although  its  original  eigh- 
teen provinces  are  only  about  two  millions  of  square 
miles  in  extent, —  some  geographers  say  a  million 
and  a  half.  The  population  of  the  provinces  is 
reckoned  at  a  hundred  and  seventy-five  million. 
But  this  is  mere  guess-work,  for  China  has  never 
taken  a  census." 

"  With  so  many  people,  there  ought  to  be  many 
large  cities." 

"  No,  the  large  cities  are  but  few  in  number.  The 
largest,  of  course,  is  Pekin,  the  capital,  on  the  Pei*Ho, 
which  contains  probably  a  million  and  a  half  to  two 
million  inhabitants;  and   the  next  is  Shanghai,  the 


26  ON   TO    PEKIN 

great  seaport  town.  Pekin  cannot  be  reached  by 
large  boats ;  and  its  sea-port,  so  to  speak,  is  Tien-Tsin, 
which  is  also  on  the  Pei-Ho,  not  many  miles  from  the 
Gulf  of  Pechili." 

"Then,  if  there  are  not  many  large  cities,  there 
must  be  a  host  of  small  ones." 

"  China,  so  I  have  read,  is  a  country  of  villages ; 
and  there  are  vast  territories  where  these  villages, 
each  containing  a  hundred  or  two  hundred  inhabi- 
tants, are  less  than  half  a  mile  apart.  You  see  the 
Chinese  farmer  doesn't  live  on  his  farm  excepting 
during  the  time  he  has  to  watch  his  crops,  to  keep 
them  from  being  stolen.  He  lives  in  the  village, 
along  with  all  of  his  neighboring  farmers ;  and  all  of 
them  go  out  to  work  every  morning,  taking  all  their 
tools  with  them,  and  even  the  bucket  and  windlass 
for  the  well,  and  return  at  nightfall." 

"  I  think  I  should  rather  live  on  the  farm.  We 
always  lived  on  our  plantation  in  Virginia,  before 
we  moved  to  Richmond." 

"  And  so  did  my  folks  live  on  their  farm  in  the 
Mohawk  Valley,  New  York  State,  Pennington.  But 
you  must  remember  that,  with  so  many  people  to 
feed,  farming  lands  in  China  are  valuable;  and   so 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  THE  PEOPLE  OF  CHINA   27 

they  can't  afford  land  for  farm-houses  or  out-buildings 
or  even  for  fences.  Many  a  farm  is  not  over  half  an 
acre  in  extent,  and  that  has  to  support  a  family  of 
six  or  eight." 

"  Phew !  We  had  over  two  hundred  acres  in 
Virginia ! " 

"  And  we  had  a  hundred  and  twenty  at  home ;  and 
father  said  he  sometimes  felt  cramped  up,  because  he 
didn't  own  right  to  the  top  of  the  mountain.  If 
it  wasn't  that  John  Chinaman  can  live  on  next  to 
nothing,  he  would  starve  to  death." 

"  But  certainly  all  the  people  are  not  so  poor." 

"  There  are  some  rich  people  in  the  cities,  but  the 
majority  merely  live  from  hand  to  mouth.  The 
richest  man  of  all  is  Earl  Li  Hung  Chang,  one  of  the 
viceroys,  who  visited  the  United  States  some  years 
ago.  He  is  a  millionaire  many  times  over,  and 
a  very  powerful  political  leader  in  the  bargain. 
They  say  he  is  the  only  viceroy  who  enjoys  the 
confidence  of  the  dowager  empress  and  the  young 
emperor." 

"It's  a  worider  he  doesn't  make  a  move  to  en- 
lighten his  people,  and  get  them  to  take  up  Western 
ideas." 


28  ON   TO  PEKIN 

"  There  is  too  much  of  religion  and  superstition 
in  the  way.  The  Chinamen  all  believe  in  geomancy, 
as  it  is  called.  According  to  that,  no  street  in  a 
village  must  be  straight  for  fear  the  Evil  Spirit  may 
sweep  through  too  easily,  and  no  door  in  a  house  can 
be  directly  opposite  to  another  for  the  same  reason. 
The  cities  and  towns  are  all  laid  out  according  to  the 
rules  of  geomancy,  as  expounded  by  the  so-styled 
learned  men  who  make  the  mysterious  art  a  life 
study.  Even  the  grave  of  a  rich  man  is  not  located 
until  the  geomancer  has  been  well  paid  in  order  to 
locate  a  spot  where  wind  and  weather  cannot  disturb 
the  spirit  of  the  departed  one." 

"  Such  superstition  is  almost  beyond  belief." 

"  That  is  only  the  beginning  of  it.  They  believe 
in  all  sorts  of  signs  and  omens,  and  won't  even  cook 
a  meal  at  a  fireplace  unless  the  latter  is  located  near 
a  door  or  window,  so  that  the  evil  spirits  in  the  food 
can  find  an  easy  way  out  of  doors." 

"  Humph !  I  wonder  what  they  would  say  to  some 
of  our  up-to-date  inventions, —  the  telephone,  for  in- 
stance ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  about  the  telephone ;  but  they  do 
say  that  in  the  interior  the  people  believe  the  tele- 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  THE  PEOPLE  OF  CHINA   29 

graph  wires  are  bewitched,  and  they  won't  walk 
under  them  excepting  with  their  eyes  closed  and 
while  holding  their  breath,  or  else  while  repeating 
some  verse  from  Confucius.  For  many  years  they 
wouldn't  allow  a  railroad  to  go  through,  because  such 
a  road  would  disturb  the  graves  that  are  scattered 
here,  there,  and  everywhere  instead  of  being  in  regular 
cemeteries,  as  in  our  own  country." 

"  I  reckon  the  people  in  the  interior  are  even  more 
ignorant  than  those  on  the  seacoast." 

"They  are,  if  the  books  I  have  read  are  to  be 
believed.  One  writer  says  that  some  Chinamen  were 
surprised  to  learn  that  he,  as  a  'foreign  devil,'  did 
not  have  three  legs  and  a  horn,  and  that  others 
thought  he  had  a  hole  through  his  breast  through 
which  a  pole  could  be  thrust  whenever  he  wanted  to 
be  carried  from  place  to  place.  Another  writer  says 
he  was  also  asked  about  the  hole,  and  that  the  natives 
were  surprised  to  learn  that  he  could  bend  his  knees, 
having  heard  that  no  '  foreign  devils '  could  bend 
their  knees  to  their  gods.  This  writer  had  a  camera 
with  him,  and  came  close  to  having  his  head  cut  off 
through  trying  to  take  some  snap-shots  in  the  village. 
He  added  that  numerous  Chinamen  think  that  photo- 


30  ON   TO   PEKIN 

graphs  must  be  made  out  of  babies'  eyes ;  and,  as  very 
few  of  the  poor  natives  of  the  interior  have  any  use 
for  a  girl  baby,  they  sometimes  offer  to  sell  such  a 
baby  to  be  sacrificed,  so  that  the  eyes  can  be  made  up 
into  photographs ! " 


CHAPTER  IV 

CAPTAIN   PONSBEKRY   HAS   HIS   SAY 

"  Hurrah!  Here  come  the  bojs  who  are  bound 
for  China  1" 

"  Good  luck  to  you,  boys !  Wish  I  was  going 
with  you !  " 

"  Don't  let  the  Chinks  get  the  best  of  you !  Stick 
up  for  Uncle  Sam  and  Old  Glory  every  time  !  " 

Such  were  some  of  the  cries  as  the  command  to 
which  Gilbert  was  attached  swung  across  the  bridge 
which  spanned  the  river  Pasig,  and  marched  through 
the  streets  of  old  Manila  to  the  barracks  assigned  to 
them  previous  to  their  departure  for  China. 

It  was  a  warm,  pleasant  evening,  and  the  thorough- 
fares were  alive  with  people, —  Americans,  natives, 
Spaniards,  Englishmen,  and  likewise  a  good  sprinkling 
of  Chinamen.  But  the  latter  had  already  heard  of 
the  sending  of  troops  to  their  native  land,  and  they 
took  good  care  to  keep  in  the  background  for  fear  of 
a  riot  in  which  they  might  come  off  second-best.    All 

SI 


32  ON   TO   PEKIN 

was  gayety,  with  scarcely  a  thought  of  the  terrible 
struggles  which  had  occurred  in  that  vicinity  but  a 
few  months  before. 

The  barracks  were  gained,  and,  while  the  band  was 
playing  one  of  the  popular  airs  of  the  day,  the  com- 
panies were  dismissed  to  seek  their  quarters  and 
make  themselves  as  comfortable  as  circumstances 
permitted. 

"  Gilbert !    I  was  hoping  I  should  find  you  !  " 

The  exclamation  came  from  a  tall,  handsome  young 
fellow  wearing  the  uniform  of  a  captain  of  volunteers ; 
and,  as  the  young  lieutenant  turned,  he  found  his 
hand  tightly  clasped  by  his  old  chum,  Ben  Russell. 

"  Ben  !  "  cried  Gilbert.  "  I  am  ever  so  glad  to  meet 
you.  I  was  afraid  I  should  have  to  leave  Luzon 
without  seeing  you.     How  have  you  been  ?  " 

"  First-rate,  Gilbert.     And  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I'm  all  right  except  for  a  slight  wound  in  the 
shoulder.  We  had  a  final  brush  with  the  guerillas 
yesterday,  and  bagged  nine  of  them.  But  what  are 
you  doing  here  ?  " 

"  I  came  down  on  a  special  mission  for  the  general. 
Larry  is  with  me,  as  a  member  of  my  company.  Here 
he  comes  now." 


CAPTAIN   PONSBEEEY   HAS   HIS   SAY  33 

As  Larry  Russell  came  up,  more  hand-shaking  fol- 
lowed ;  and  then  the  Russells  plied  Gilbert  with  ques- 
tions, all  of  which  he  answered  as  well  as  he  could. 

"  I  wish  you  were  going  with  us,"  said  the  young 
lieutenant.  "We  might  have  some  fine  times  to- 
gether." 

"  That's  true,"  put  in  Larry  Russell.  "  But  I  guess 
we've  got  to  stay  here  until  we  are  mustered  out." 

"Perhaps  we'll  be  sent  to  China  later  on,"  said 
Ben  Russell.  Then  he  turned,  as  he  felt  a  pluck  at 
his  sleeve.  "  Hullo,  Stummer !  And  you,  too,  Casey ! 
How  are  you  getting  along?  It's  too  bad  that  you 
left  me  to  join  the  regulars,  but  I  suppose  it's  all  for 
the  best." 

"  I  dink  you  besser  choin,  too,"  replied  the  German 
soldier.     "  Uncle  Sam  vill  need  you  in  China,  sure." 

"Perhaps,  Carl,  but  not  now." 

"  To  lave  you  is  the  wan  sorrow  of  me  partin'  wid 
Manila, "  said  Casey.  "  Sure,  an'  we  was  loike 
brothers,  barrin'  ye  was  captain  an'  I  was  a  corporal. 
I  hope  we  mate  ag'in,  so  I  do."  And  his  honest  eyes 
looked  suspiciously  moist.  He  had  served  with  Ben 
all  through  the  Cuban  and  Philippine  campaigns. 

The  conversation  now  became  general ;  and  pres- 


34  ON   TO   PEKIN 

ently  Casey  and  Stummer  went  off,  leaving  Gilbert 
and  the  Russells  to  themselves.  From  one  thing  the 
talk  drifted  to  another,  and  finally  came  around  to 
Mr.  Amos  Bartlett  and  the  fortune  Jefferson  Pen- 
nington had  sunk  in  the  Richmond  Importing  Com- 
pany. 

"  The  Richmond  Importing  Company ! "  cried 
Larry.  "  Why,  I  know  a  party  who  is  now  working 
for  that  concern. " 

"  You  do !  "  exclaimed  Gilbert.    "  And  who  is  it?" 

"  Captain  Ponsberry,  of  the  three-masted  schooner 
Columbia,  the  vessel  I  shipped  in  from  Honolulu, 
with  Luke  Striker." 

"  You  mean  the  ship  you  were  serving  on  at  the 
time  you  went  overboard  and  was  picked  up  by  Ad- 
miral Dewey's  flagship  just  before  the  battle  of 
Manila?" 

"  The  same.  Captain  Ponsberry  wasn't  carrying 
for  the  Richmond  Importing  Company  then,  but  he 
is  now.     He  told  me  so  himself  yesterday." 

"  Yesterday  ?     Then  his  ship  must  be  here." 

«  She  is." 

"  I  should  like  to  see  this  Captain  Ponsberry,  to 
find  out  how  the  company  stands  at  present." 


CAPTAIN   PONSBERRY  HAS   HIS   SAY  35 

"  Then  you  had  better  get  around  to-night  or  early 
to-morrow.     He  sails  at  noon." 

"  I'll  go  at  once  if  you'll  show  the  way,"  con- 
cluded Gilbert. 

Larry  was  willing;  and  soon  the  three  were  on 
their  way  to  new  Manila,  as  it  is  designated,  across  the 
Pasig,  and  down  to  where  the  numerous  wharves  were 
lined  with  huge  warehouses  containing  all  sorts  of 
merchandise  from  nearly  every  quarter  of  the  globe. 

The  Columbia  lay  deep  in  the  water  opposite  the 
wharf  from  which  she  had  loaded,  for  she  was  laden 
with  a  cargo  for  China.  At  the  wharf  they  found  a 
small  boat  tied  up,  in  charge  of  a  sailor  named  Hob- 
son,  whom  Larry  Russell  knew  very  well. 

"  Hullo,  Larry,  what  brings  you  ?  "  demanded  Hob- 
son,  in  surprise ;  for  he  had  not  expected  to  see  the 
young  soldier-sailor. 

"  My  friend  wishes  to  see  Captain  Ponsberry,  Hob- 
son.     Is  he  ashore  ?  " 

"  No,  I'm  waiting  for  Tom  Grandon,  the  mate. 
The  cap'n  is  on  board." 

"  Will  you  take  us  over  ?  " 

"  Certainly.     Jump  in." 

The  two  entered  the  row-boat,  and  Gilbert  was  in- 


36  ON   TO   PEKIK 

troduced  to  Hobson,  who  had  been  Larry's  messmate 
for  several  months.  Soon  the  side  of  the  schooner 
was  gained,  and  Larry  clambered  to  the  deck  with 
the  agility  of  a  monkey,  leaving  Gilbert  to  follow. 

"  Hullo,  Larry  !  back  again  ?  "  came  from  Captain 
Nat  Ponsberry,  a  whole-souled  skipper  of  the  old 
New  England  school.  "  I  had  hardly  expected  to 
see  you  again  afore  I  sailed." 

"  My  friend  here  wishes  to  have  a  talk  with  you, 
captain,"  answered  Larry.  "  He  is  Lieutenant  Gil- 
bert Pennington  now  of  the  regulars,  but  formerly  of 
the  volunteers.     He  served  with  my  brother  Ben." 

"  Oh,  yes !  reckon  as  how  I've  heard  tell  of  ye," 
said  Captain  Ponsberry,  as  he  extended  a  horny 
hand,  as  hard  as  it  was  honest.  "  Glad  to  know  ye 
personally." 

"  Perhaps  you'll  think  it  strange  I  should  come  to 
you  for  information,  captain,"  said  the  young  lieu- 
tenant. "  But  Larry  tells  me  you  are  carrying  for 
the  Richmond  Importing  Company  now." 

"  Exactly."  And  the  skipper  of  the  Columbia  gazed 
questioningly  at  the  speaker.  "  But  this  is  my  first 
trip ;  and  I  don't  know  but  that  it  may  be  my  last, 
too." 


CAPTAIN   PONSBERRY   HAS   HIS   SAY  37 

"And  may  I  ask  why  you  say  it  may  be  your 
last?" 

"You  may,  since  I've  nothing  to  conceal  on  the 
p'int,  lieutenant.  Their  price  ain't  my  price,  thet's 
all.     I  can  make  more  money  on  my  own  hook." 

"  The  reason  I  have  come  to  you  is  this :  Years 
ago  my  father  owned  stock  in  the  company.  He 
died,  and  when  my  mother  tried  to  get  a  settlement 
—  well,  they  didn't  give  her  near  as  much  as  she  ex- 
pected." 

"I  see."     Captain  Ponsberry  paused.     "Well?" 

"  That  was  when  I  was  only  ten  years  old, — 
rather  a  long  time  ago.  I've  never  had  a  chance  to 
look  into  the  claim,  but  I  intend  to  do  so  now ;  and  I 
want  to  know  how  the  company  stands,  if  you  don't 
mind  telling  me." 

"  As  I  said  afore,  I  have  nothing  to  conceal.  So 
far  as  I  know,  the  standin'  of  the  concern  is  good,  and 
it  is  wuth  nigh  on  to  two  hundred  thousand  dollars." 

"And  who  is  its  head  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Ramsey  Polk,  a  banker,  who  does  business 
in  Richmond  and  in  New  Orleans." 

"  He  must  be  the  same  Polk  who  took  hold  at  the 
time  my  father  died.     I  remember  the  name  well* 


38  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"More'n  likely,  lieutenant;  an',  if  he  is,  I'll  allow 
you  have  a  tough  customer  to  deal  -with,"  added  the 
skipper  of  the  Columbia,  with  a  peculiar  smile. 

"  Then  you  found  him  hard  to  deal  with  ?  " 

"I  did." 

"Do  you  know  if  there  is  a  Mr.  Amos  Bartlett 
still  connected  with  the  company?" 

"  Yes,  there  is ;  but  I've  got  it  putty  straight  that 
the  Polks,  father  an'  son, —  an'  the  son,  Nuggy,  is 
wuss  nor  his  dad, —  are  doin'  their  best  to  squeeze 
him  out  of  it." 

"And  where  is  Mr.  Bartlett,  now?" 

"  In  Tien-Tsin,  China,  or  else  at  Shanghai." 

"  And  how  are  they  going  to  squeeze  him  out  ?  " 

"  If  you'll  tell  me,  I'll  tell  you,"  laughed  Captain 
Ponsberry.  "  I  guess  the  Polks  have  a  way  all  their 
own.  But  they'll  do  it,  for  I've  heard  that  they 
have  squeezed  out  others.  Nuggy  Polk  is  on  his 
way  now  to  China,  to  see  what  he  can  do  toward 
ousting  Bartlett  out  of  the  concern.  The  Polks 
know  they  have  a  good  thing,  an'  I  guess  they  want 
to  keep  it  right  in  the  family." 

"  You  say  he  is  on  his  way  to  China.  Is  he 
here?" 


CAPTAIN  PONSBERRY   HAS   HIS   SAY  39 

"He  was  here  a  few  days  ago.  I  think  he  sailed 
for  Hong  Kong  yesterday." 

"  I  wish  I  had  seen  him.  Perhaps  he  could  have 
given  me  some  information." 

"Not  he  —  if  he  thought  you  were  after  some 
money  due  your  father,"  returned  Captain  Ponsberry, 
with  a  sharp  shake  of  his  head.  "  The  Polks  are 
close-fisted  to  the  last  degree.  You  won't  get  a  cent 
from  them  unless  you  wring  it  by  main  force." 

"  Then  I'll  wring  it  by  main  force  —  if  I  find  that 
some  money  is  really  due  me,"  answered  Gilbert, 
with  determination. 

Captain  Ponsberry  now  invited  the  pair  to  his 
cabin ;  and  the  three  went  below,  and  discussed  the 
situation  for  the  best  part  of  an  hour.  During  this 
talk,  Gilbert  learned  that  the  affairs  of  the  Import- 
ing Company  were  almost  entirely  in  the  hands 
of  the  Polks,  who  had  forced  out  a  man  named  Red- 
mund  and  an  old  widow  named  Van  Vechen,  both  of 
Richmond.  Amos  Bartlett  was  now  the  only  out- 
sider holding  stock,  and  it  was  the  captain's  opinion 
that  Nuggy  Polk's  sole  reason  for  going  to  China 
was  to  get  the  old  merchant  to  sell  out  his  holding. 

"An',  if  he  won't  sell  out,  he'll  be  squeezed  out," 


40  ON   TO   PEKIN 

added  the  captain.  "  But  I  guess  the  Polks  will  get 
him  to  sell  out  by  showin'  him  papers  an'  statements 
to  prove  thet  the  company  ain't  making  any  money 
an'  is  in  debt." 

"  But  you  say  they  are  doing  well  ?  " 

"  So  they  are,  too.  I  had  a  search  made  afore  I 
agreed  to  carry  for  'em." 

"Then  a  statement  to  the  contrary  would  be  a 
fraud,"  put  in  Larry. 

"  Exactly.  But  what  could  Bartlett  prove  if  the 
hull  thing  was  done  in  secret  ?  " 

"It  won't  be  done  in  secret — not  if  I  can  help  it," 
said  Gilbert ;  and  there  the  conversation  came  to  an 
end. 


CHAPTER  V 

GILBERT  MEETS   NTTGGY  POLK 

The  two  transports  which  were  to  take  the  sol- 
diers from  Manila  to  China  lay  in  the  harbor  off  the 
Anda  Monument ;  but  several  days  were  still  to 
elapse  before  the  first  of  them  should  set  sail  on  her 
momentous  voyage  to  Nagasaki,  Japan,  the  first  stop- 
ping-place. Where  the  transport  was  to  go  after 
that,  none  of  the  under  officers  or  privates  knew. 
The  duty  of  the  American  soldier  is  to  obey  orders, 
and  not  ask  questions. 

There  was  much  to  do, —  new  uniforms  and  shoes 
to  be  fitted,  guns  to  be  inspected,  ammunition  to  be 
dealt  out,  camping  outfits  to  be  cared  for, —  so  that 
the  hours  flew  by  swiftly  for  Gilbert  and  all  the 
others;  and  he  had  no  time  in  which  to  ascertain 
whether  or  not  Nuggy  Polk  —  whose  real  first  name 
was  Nuglich  —  was  still  in  Manila  or  if  he  had  set 
sail  for  the  Celestial  Empire. 

The  transport  was  to  sail  on  Tuesday;  and  by 
41 


42  ON   TO   PEKIN 

Monday  night  the  preparations  for  departure  —  so 
far  as  they  affected  the  young  lieutenant  —  were 
complete.  This  being  so,  he  asked  for  leave  of  ab- 
sence for  several  hours,  which  was  readily  granted ; 
and  off  he  went  to  hunt  up  Nuggy  Polk. 

Captain  Ponsberry  had  described  the  young  man 
as  tall  and  thin,  with  a  short,  stubby  mustache  and 
eyes  which  shifted  continually.  He  was  said  to 
have  stopped  at  the  Hotel  for  American  Gentlemen, 
as  one  of  the  native  resorts  had  lately  been  pom- 
pously rechristened. 

Gilbert  found  the  hostelry  without  much  diffi- 
culty, and  on  inquiry  at  the  desk  learned  that 
Nuggy  Polk  had  left  the  place  that  morning. 

"  He  was  not  sure  if  he  would  be  back,"  said  the 
clerk.  "  He  wanted  to  visit  the  soldiers'  encamp- 
ment up  at  the  water-works.  Perhaps  you  will  find 
him  there." 

The  water-works  are  several  miles  to  the  eastward 
of  Manila,  at  a  spot  where  a  few  months  before 
some  severe  fighting  had  taken  place  between  the 
Americans  and  the  insurgents.  Gilbert  decided  to 
journey  thither,  and  hired  a  pony  for  that  purpose. 

The  young  lieutenant  had  been  over  this  ground 


GILBERT   MEETS   NUGGY   POLK  43 

before,  —  indeed,  some  of  his  first  fighting  in  the 
Philippines  had  been  done  in  that  neighborhood ; 
and  he  found  his  way,  without  difficulty,  along  a 
highway  lined  with  palms  and  other  tropical  trees. 

As  he  moved  along,  he  kept  his  eyes  open  for  any- 
body who  might  bear  a  resemblance  to  the  young 
man  he  desired  to  interview.  It  was  growing  dark 
rapidly ;  yet  the  night  promised  to  be  clear,  and  he 
could  still  see  without  much  difficulty. 

The  camping  grounds  of  the  soldiers  at  the  water- 
works were  almost  gained,  when,  on  reaching  a  turn 
of  the  road,  the  young  lieutenant  beheld  coming 
toward  him  a  high  native  fancy  cart,  drawn  by  two 
stout  ponies.  On  the  seat  of  the  cart  sat  two  young 
men ;  and,  from  the  description  which  had  been  given 
to  him,  he  recognized  the  driver  of  the  turnout  as 
Nuggy  Polk. 

As  soon  as  he  made  his  discovery  that  the  man 
he  was  seeking  was  before  him,  Gilbert  also  learned 
something  else,  which  was  that  both  young  men  had 
been  drinking  far  more  than  was  good  for  them,  and, 
if  they  were  not  intoxicated,  they  were  pretty  close 
to  it.  The  driver  was  swaying  from  side  to  side, 
jcglking  the  reins  in  a  way  to  completely  bewilder  his 


44  ON   TO  PEKIN 

steeds;  and  his  companion  was  expostulating,  and 
trying  to  get  the  lines  in  his  own  possession. 

"  I  tell  you,  Nuggy,  you  ain't  in  no  condition  to 
drive,"  the  second  young  man  was  saying.  "  Give 
me  the  lines,  an'  I'll  show  you  how  to  make  'em  trot." 

"  Give  you  nothing ! "  retorted  Nuggy  Polk,  sav- 
agely. "I  can  drive  as  well  as  anybody,  Jerry 
Nickerson ;  and  I  want  you  to  know  it." 

"You're  steerin'  'em  into  the  rocks,"  went  on 
Jerry  Nickerson.  "You'll  smash  us  up  in  another 
minit ! "  And  he  clutched  Polk's  arm  to  keep  him- 
self from  rolling  off  the  high  seat  to  the  ground. 

"  Lemme  go !  "  screamed  the  would-be  driver,  and 
tried  to  shake  his  companion  off ;  but  Jerry  Nicker- 
son made  another  clutch  for  the  reins,  and  a  fierce 
struggle  ensued,  in  the  midst  of  which  the  ponies 
took  fright,  and  began  to  tear  down  the  highway  at 
their  best  speed. 

Gilbert  could  do  nothing  to  stop  the  runaway 
team;  and,  as  the  high  cart  bounced  past,  he  fully 
expected  to  see  the  two  young  men  thrown  out  and 
killed.  The  reins  fell  upon  the  ponies'  heels,  and 
then  Jerry  Nickerson  clutched  the  seat  for  safety. 
Nuggy  Polk  was   thrown   over   backward,  into  the 


You'll  be  all  right  if  you'll  only  stand  up." — Page  45. 


GILBERT  MEETS   NUGGY   POLK  46 

rear  of  the  cart,  and  came  to  the  ground  with  a 
splash  just  as  the  turnout  went  through  a  mud 
puddle  six  inches  deep. 

"  Help !  save  me ! "  roared  the  young  man,  bellow- 
ing like  a  bull.  "  Don't  let  the  hosses  kick  me  to 
death!" 

He  continued  to  bellow  and  splash  around  in  the 
mud  until  Gilbert,  dismounting,  went  to  his  assist- 
ance. "  You'll  be  all  right  if  you'll  only  stand  up," 
said  the  young  lieutenant. 

"All  right?  Do  I  want  to  be  kicked  to  death?" 
demanded  Nuggy  Polk,  as  he  sat  up,  and  dug  the 
mud  from  his  eyes. 

"  You'll  not  be  kicked  to  death.  You  landed  in  a 
soft  spot,  so  I  reckon  there  are  no  bones  broken." 

«*  But  the  hosses  —  " 

"  Your  ponies  and  cart  are  half  a  mile  from  here 
by  this  time.  They  went  off  like  a  streak  of  light- 
ning." 

"  Humph ! "  Nuggy  Polk  arose  to  his  feet  with 
difficulty,  and  dragged  himself  to  where  Gilbert 
stood.     "  Where's  Jerry  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"Your  companion  was  clinging  to  the  cart  seat 
the  last  I  saw  of  him." 


46  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"  Humph  !  He'll  be  killed  as  sure  as  you're  born. 
But  it  serves  him  right.  He  had  no  business  to  try 
to  take  the  reins  out  of  my  hands.  I  know  how  to 
drive  —  used  to  drive  the  finest  high-steppers  in 
Richmond.  He  don't  know  the  first  thing  about 
hosses." 

"  Well,  I  hope  he  isn't  killed." 

"  Oh,  he'll  be  all  right  —  you  couldn't  kill  Jerry 
Nickerson  if  you  tried.  Say,  but  I'm  in  a  pickle, 
ain't  I  ?  "  And  Nuggy  Polk  surveyed  himself  dis- 
mally. He  was  arrayed  in  a  white  linen  suit,  with  a 
fancy  silk  dress  shirt ;  and  the  outfit  had  suffered 
much  from  the  contact  with  mud  and  water.  "  I 
can't  go  back  to  Manila  looking  like  this." 

Gilbert  could  offer  nothing  but  his  handkerchief ; 
and  this  Polk  accepted,  and  washed  his  face  and 
hands  at  a  near-by  pool.  He  was  very  unsteady  on 
his  legs,  and  his  speech  was  thick.  He  declared  that 
he  did  not  care  what  became  of  Jerry  Nickerson. 

"He's  my  friend,  but  in  a  case  of  this  kind  he 
must  take  care  of  himself,"  he  muttered.  "  I  sup- 
pose those  ponies  won't  run  on  forever." 

"  If  you  got  them  from  a  stable  in  Manila,  they 
will  probably  go  straight  home,"  answered  Gilbert. 


GILBERT   MEETS   NUGGY   POLK  47 

"  By  the  way,  do  you  belong  in  Manila?"  he  went 
on,  determined  to  "pump"  Polk  without  making 
himself  known. 

"Me  belong  to  Manila?"  cried  the  young  man. 
"  Not  much.  You  couldn't  hire  me  to  live  in  such  a 
back-number  town.  No,  I'm  from  Richmond,  Vir- 
ginia." 

"  Then  you  are  a  good  way  from  home.  But  I,  too, 
come  from  Virginia,"  continued  Gilbert.  "I  was 
born  in  Powhatan  Court  House,"  which  was  the  ex- 
act truth. 

"  Is  that  so  ?  Glad  to  know  you.  You're  a  lieu- 
tenant, I  reckon,  by  the  uniform." 

"  I  am,  Mr. —  " 

"Nuglich  Polk  is  my  handle.  Generally  called 
Nuggy  by  my  friends.     And  you  are  ? —  " 

"  My  name  is  Gilbert." 

"  Proud  to  know  you ! "  The  young  man  tried  to 
look  sober  for  a  second,  then  burst  out  into  a  fit  of 
unreasonable  laughter.  "Say,  but  I  cut  a  figure, 
didn't  I,  when  I  went  into  the  mud  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  see  very  clearly.  I  was  watching  your 
team." 

"Oh,  don't  smooth  it  over,  lieutenant.     It's   all 


48  ON    TO   PEKIN 

right!  So  we  are  both  from  Virginia?  Good 
enough !      Ever  been  to  Richmond  ?  " 

"  Yes,  years  ago." 

"I  and  my  father  run  the  Richmond  Importing 
Company  there.  Perhaps  you've  heard  of  the  con- 
cern. We  ship  goods  all  over  the  world, —  China, 
Japan,  South  Africa,  everywhere.  Got  a  vessel  here 
now,  bound  for  China,  the  Columbia.  Had  to  look 
after  her,  and  that's  what  brought  me  to  the  Philip- 
pines." 

"  Then  you  are  going  back  to  the  States  soon  ?  " 
went  on  Gilbert.  "  You're  lucky.  Lots  of  the  boys 
would  like  to  go,  too." 

"No,  I'm  booked  straight  through  to  China." 
Nuggy  Polk  gave  something  closely  resembling  a 
hiccough,  and  then  felt  in  a  rear  pocket  of  his 
trousers.  "Have  a  drink?"  he  went  on,  producing 
a  whiskey  flask. 

"  Thanks,  but  I'm  not  a  drinking  man,"  answered 
Gilbert. 

"What!  Don't  drink?  Well,  I  never!  I'll 
drink  for  you.     Here's  your  health." 

The  whiskey  flask  was  elevated  to  Polk's  lips,  and 
a  long  low  gurgle  followed.     The  action  disgusted 


GIIiBEKT   MEETS   NTJGGY   POLK  49 

the  young  lieutenant;  but  he  felt  powerless  to  re- 
monstrate, even  had  he  felt  so  inclined. 

"  Ah !  now  I  feel  better  1 "  said  the  young  man, 
more  unsteadily  than  ever;  and  then,  finding  the 
flask  empty,  he  threw  it  to  one  side  of  the  road. 
"Yes,  I'm  from  Richmond;  and  I  don't  care  who 
knows  it.  We  are  the  people !  Ain't  that  so  ? " 
And  he  tried  to  brace  up  proudly. 

"  "We  are  certainly  some  of  the  people,"  answered 
Gilbert ;  and  he  felt  like  adding  that  Polk  was  the 
most  disgusting  specimen  he  had  yet  encountered. 
"  If  you  and  your  father  run  the  Richmond  Import- 
ing Company,  you  must  be  doing  a  large  business." 

"  Large  doesn't  express  it,  lieutenant.  It's  grow- 
ing every  day." 

"  A  stock  concern,  I  reckon  ?  " 

"  Humph !  It's  our  concern, —  belongs  to  father 
and  me.  We  used  to  have  some  outside  people  in  it, 
but  we  froze  'em  out, —  had  to  do  it,  it  was  such  a 
good  thing,  don't  you  see  ?  " 

"That  was  rather  hard  on  the  other  fellows,  I 
should  imagine." 

"  Oh,  we  paid  'em  to  get  out ;  but  not  too  much, 
understand?     We're  shrewd,  me  and  father,  when  it 


50  ON   TO   PEKIN 

comes  to  real  business."  Nuggy  Polk  gave  a  lurch 
which  landed  him  on  the  grass  of  the  roadside. 
"  Say,  but  that  tumble  made  me  weak  in  the  legs ! " 
he  declared. 

"  Better  rest  here,  and  see  if  your  friend  comes 
back,"  suggested  Gilbert.  "  I'll  stay  with  you ;  and, 
if  he  doesn't  return,  I'll  see  to  it  that  you  get  back 
to  Manila  in  safety." 

"Will  you?  That's  mighty  kind,  lieutenant,  and 
I'll  stay ;  and  I'll  pay  you  for  all  you  do  for  me." 
And  the  young  man  pulled  from  his  pocket  a  roll  of 
bank  bills.  "  I  reckon  bills  go  with  you,  even  if  the 
confounded  natives  won't  accept  'em." 

"  I  don't  want  your  money  — " 

"  Don't  grow  offended,  lieutenant.  I'm  all  right, 
and  you're  all  right.  We  understand  each  other, 
don't  we?" 

"  I  hope  we  shall,  if  not  now,  then  later  on,"  re- 
plied Gilbert,  with  an  emphasis  which  was  entirely 
lost  on  the  befuddled  young  man  to  whom  the  words 
were  addressed. 


CHAPTER  VI 

OFF   FOR   CHINA 

The  young  lieutenant  felt  utterly  disgusted  oyer 
the  speech  and  actions  of  the  young  man  before  him ; 
yet  he  did  not  feel  inclined  just  yet  to  part  company 
with  Nuggy  Polk.  There  is  an  old  saying  that, 
"  when  the  wine  is  in,  the  wit  is  out " ;  and  Gilbert 
felt  certain  that  by  judicious  "pumping"  he  could 
learn  a  good  deal  concerning  the  Richmond  Import- 
ing Company  and  the  Polks'  peculiar  method  of 
transacting  business. 

Gilbert  could  readily  see  that  Nuggy  Polk  was  a 
"high-flyer,"  or,  in  other  words,  a  fast  young  man, 
and  one  who  was  inclined  to  spend  his  father's 
money  much  faster  than  the  parent  had  made  it. 
Yet  the  young  man  did  not  look  like  a  hard  drinker ; 
and  his  present  condition,  Gilbert  concluded,  was  an 
unusual  one. 

"May  I  ask  if  you  have  been  in  Richmond 
lately?"  said  Gilbert,  after  a  pause,  during  which 

SI 


52  ON   TO   PEKIN 

Nuggy  Polk  had  closed  his  eyes,  as  if  on  the  point 
of  going  to  sleep. 

"  Came  from  Richmond  to  'Frisco,  an'  from  'Frisco 
here,"  was  the  unsteady  answer.  "'Bout  four 
months  ago  —  came  on  mail  steamer.  Going  to 
China  —  do  the  country  in  'bout  six  weeks,  and  then 
go  home  again.  This  don't  suit  at  all.  Richmond 
is  good  enough  for  me." 

"  I  suppose  you'll  have  a  good  deal  of  work  to  do 
in  China  for  your  company." 

"  A  little,  lieutenant.  You  see,  I  don't  believe  in 
killing  myself  with  labor."  Nuggy  Polk  tried  to 
.laugh,  but  the  effort  only  ended  in  a  hiccough. 
"Main  object  is  to  find  a  man  named  Bartlett,  a  fel- 
low who  owns  a  little  block  of  stock  in  our  concern." 

"  Going  to  buy  him  out  ?  " 

"  You've  struck  the  head  on  the  nail  —  I  mean  — 
er  —  the  nail  on  the  nai  —  no,  the  nail  on  the  —  the 
head  —  yes,  the  head.  Don't  want  Bartlett  in  the 
company  any  more.  He'll  make  too  much  money  if 
he  stays  in."     And  Nuggy  Polk  gave  a  chuckle. 

"  Supposing  this  Bartlett  won't  sell  out?" 

"He's  got  to,  or  we'll  —  er  —  we'll  squeeze  him, 
same  as  we  did  the  others." 


OFF   FOE   CHINA  53 

"  Bound  to  hold  on  to  a  good  thing,  I  see,"  com- 
mented Gilbert,  speaking  as  carelessly  as  possible. 
"  I  suppose  you  and  your  father  organized  the  com- 
pany in  the  first  place." 

"Not  exactly,  although  it  was  father's  idea. 
There  was  a  fellow  named  Jefferson  Pennington 
used  to  do  quite  a  business  in  tobacco  and  cotton, 
and  some  tea  and  coffee;  and  the  company  started 
out  of  his  trade." 

"  Oh !  then  this  Pennington  is  at  the  top  of  the 
concern." 

"  No,  not  a  bit  of  it !     He's  dead  years  ago." 

"  And  I  suppose  you  scooped  his  share,  too.  You 
must  be  a  smart  set." 

"  Thanks  for  the  compliment,  lieutenant.  Reckon 
we  are  smart ;  but  then,  you  see,  it  runs  in  the  blood. 
Both  of  my  grandfathers  were  bankers  and  brokers, 
and  knew  how  to  turn  things  to  the  best  advantage." 

"  It's  a  wonder  Pennington  and  these  others  didn't 
kick  at  being  squeezed." 

"  They  did  kick ;  but  it  didn't  do  'em  no  good,  not 
a  bit.  We  had  the  whip  hand,  an'  we  kept  it.  Pen- 
nington's widow  raised  a  big  row,  so  father  has  told 
me ;  but  it  ended  in  smoke." 


54  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"  You  held  the  evidence  and  kept  it." 

"You  hit  the  nail  on  the  head  ag'in.,  lieutenant* 
We  are  smart,  and  we  are  the  people."  Nuggy  Polk 
gave  a  long,  drunken  yawn.  "  This  looks  as  if  Jerry 
wasn't  coming  back.     Say,  I've  an  idea." 

"Well?" 

"Can't  you  carry  me  back  to  Manila  on  your 
hoss?" 

"  I  don't  believe  the  pony  will  carry  the  weight." 

"  Lemme  try  him." 

Only  with  the  greatest  of  difficulty  did  Nuggy 
Polk  manage  to  rise  to  his  feet.  Then  he  lurched 
up  against  Gilbert,  took  a  plunge,  and  hit  the  pony  in 
the  ribs.  The  animal  turned,  bumped  roughly  against 
the  young  man,  and  Polk  measured  his  length  on  the 
ground. 

"  Whoa,  you  rascal ! "  spluttered  the  fallen  one. 
"  Lieutenant,  he's  worse  than  the  team.  I  can't  ride 
him  nohow." 

At  this  juncture  a  rumble  of  cart  wheels  was  heard, 
and  soon  a  native  turnout  hove  in  sight,  drawn  by  a 
pair  of  caribaos.     A  sleepy  Tagal  sat  on  the  seat. 

Stopping  the  cart,  Gilbert  inquired  if  the  Tagal 
was  bound  for  Manila. 


OFF   FOE   CHINA  55 

"  Si,  senor"  answered  the  man,  in  Spanish. 

"  Take  me  along  then,"  put  in  Nuggy  Polk.  "  I'll 
pay  you  well."  And  he  jingled  some  coin  in  his 
pocket. 

The  native  assented,  and,  leaping  to  the  ground,  he 
assisted  the  young  man  to  a  seat  in  the  rear  of  the 
cart.  Here  there  was  some  straw,  upon  which  rested 
several  bunches  of  plantains;  and  on  this  straw 
Nuggy  Polk  stretched  himself,  and  in  a  moment  more 
was  sound  asleep. 

"You  can  take  him  to  the  Hotel  for  American 
Gentlemen,"  said  Gilbert.  "  Do  you  know  the 
place  ? " 

"  Yees,  mistair.     He  has  drank  much,  not  so  ?  " 

"  Yes.  They  know  him  at  the  hotel;  though ;  and  I 
reckon  it  will  be  all  right.     I'll  ride  behind." 

No  more  was  said,  and  soon  the  cart  was  on  its  way 
to  the  capital.  Hardly  a  mile  was  covered  when  they 
came  upon  Jerry  Nickerson,  sitting  on  the  wreck  of 
the  fancy  cart,  the  picture  of  misery  and  despair. 
Broken  bits  of  harness  lay  on  the  ground,  and  the 
ponies  were  nowhere  in  sight.  Nickerson  had  had 
his  left  hand  cut,  and  had  the  member  bound  up  in 
his  handkerchief. 


56  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"  They  tried  to  take  a  stone  wall,  hang  'em ! "  he 
explained  to  Gilbert.  "  The  cart's  a  wreck,  and  so'm 
I.     Where's  Nuggy?" 

"  Safe,"  answered  the  young  lieutenant.  "  If  you 
don't  want  to  stay  here  all  night,  you  had  better  hop 
up  behind." 

"But  the  busted  cart  —  ?" 

"You  had  better  attend  to  the  cart  and  the  ponies 
in  the  morning." 

Nickerson  wished,  in  drunken  style,  to  argue  the 
matter ;  but  the  young  lieutenant  was  in  no  humor  to 
listen  to  such  a  beast,  and  ordered  the  Tagal  to  drive 
on.  Seeing  this,  Nickerson  scrambled  up  behind, 
threw  himself  beside  Nuggy  Polk,  and  was  soon 
snoring  lustily. 

The  Hotel  for  American  Gentlemen  was  reached 
without  further  incident ;  and,  having  had  the  Tagal 
drive  into  the  court-yard,  Gilbert  interviewed  the 
clerk,  and  had  the  two  sleeping  ones  transferred 
to  the  rooms  they  had  previously  occupied. 

"Can  you  tell  me  who  this  Jerry  Nickerson  is?" 
asked  the  young  lieutenant  of  the  clerk  at  the  desk. 

"  I  cannot,  excepting  that  he  seems  to  be  a  close 
friend  to  Mr.  Polk,"  was  the  reply. 


OFF   FOE   CHINA  57 

"How  long  have  the  pair  been  at  the  hotel?" 

"About  ten  days." 

"And  what  vessel  are  they  going  to  take  for 
China?" 

"The  Orient.  But  she  sails  at  nine  o'clock  to- 
morrow morning,  and  I  doubt  if  they  awake  in  time 
to  go  on  board,"  concluded  the  clerk.  As  far  as  he 
was  concerned,  he  did  not  wish  the  two  guests  to 
catch  the  steamship.  They  had  paid  well  for  their 
accommodations,  and  he  felt  inclined  to  have  them 
remain  with  hini  as  long  as  possible. 

Having  seen  to  it  that  the  Tagal  owning  the  cart 
had  been  paid  for  bringing  the  two  young  men  to 
Manila,  Gilbert  took  his  pony  back  to  the  livery 
stable,  and  then  made  his  way  to  the  barracks. 
He  had  not  learned  a  great  deal  concerning  the 
Richmond  Importing  Company,  yet  he  had  gathered 
sufficient  information  to  set  him  to  thinking  deeply. 

"  Those  Polks  are  rascals  beyond  a  doubt,"  he  said 
to  himself.  "  But  there  is  a  big  difference  between 
knowing  a  thing  and  being  able  to  prove  it.  I  hope, 
when  I  get  to  China,  that  I  shall  have  a  chance  to 
hunt  up  Mr.  Bartlett  and  to  watch  what  Nuggy  Polk 
does." 


58  ON  TO  PEEJN 

It  was  late  when  the  young  lieutenant  turned  in; 
and,  as  the  pony  ride  had  made  him  tired,  he  slept 
soundly,  and  did  not  awaken  until  the  roll  of  the 
drum  aroused  him.  Dressing  hastily,  he  stepped  out 
to  the  parade  ground  in  front  of  the  barracks. 

The  scene  was  an  animated  one,  for  a  crowd  had 
gathered  to  see  the  regulars  off.  As  soon  as  the 
companies  could  be  formed,  they  were  marched  to 
the  wharf  at  the  Anda  Monument;  and  here  numer- 
ous cascoes  began  to  take  men  and  equipments  off  to 
the  Logan  and  the  other  transport  which  were  to 
carry  the  soldiers  on  their  journey  up  the  China  and 
Yellow  Seas. 

"  Off  at  last,  eh ! "  cried  a  voice  in  Gilbert's  ear ; 
and,  turning,  he  saw  Ben  Russell  at  his  elbow.  Ben 
had  but  a  few  minutes  to  spare,  and  a  short  but 
lively  conversation  ensued.  Then  the  old  chums 
shook  hands;  and  Gilbert  stepped  into  the  casco 
which  was  to  take  him  to  the  transport.  The 
friends  were  destined  not  to  see  each  other  again 
for  a  long,  long  time. 

A  band  was  playing  on  the  Lunetta,  the  great 
pleasure  ground  of  Manila,  as  Gilbert  went  on 
board  the  transport.     Many  had  preceded  him,  and 


OFF   FOR   CHINA  59 

soon  the  boat  was  comfortably  filled,  although  not 
crowded. 

Besides  the  soldiers,  there  were  a  regimental  band, 
a  hospital  corps,  a  number  of  officers'  families,  and 
half  a  dozen  newspaper  correspondents.  There  were 
also  others  on  board  whose  presence  were  to  surprise 
the  young  lieutenant  greatly. 

"Well,  lieutenant,  how  do  you  feel?"  asked 
Major  Morris,  as  he  met  Gilbert  in  one  of  the  gang- 
ways. 

"First-rate,  major,  but  rather  sorry  to  leave  the 
Philippines,  after  all." 

"  Precisely  my  case.  We  had  many  a  lively  cam- 
paign there,  didn't  we  ?  " 

So  the  talk  ran  on  until  night  shut  out  a  view  of 
the  city,  leaving  only  the  electric  and  other  lights  to 
twinkle  in  the  darkness.  There  was  but  little  sleep 
on  board.  At  sunrise  all  were  astir,  and  a  little 
while  later  the  steamship  turned  her  head  for  the 
entrance  to  Manila  Bay.  Two  hours  sufficed  to  pass 
Corregidor  Island ;  and  then  it  could  be  said  that  the 
voyage  to  China  was  fairly  begun. 


CHAPTER  VII 

WHAT   CAUSED   THE   ¥AE 

In  this  tale  of  a  young  soldier's  experiences  dur- 
ing tire  American  army's  first  campaign  in  China,  it 
is  not  my  intention  to  go  into  the  details  of  all  that 
led  up  to  the  terrible  outbreak  in  the  Celestial 
Empire, —  an  outbreak  which  will  probably  be  known 
as  the  Boxers'  Uprising  of  1900.  Yet  it  will  be  well 
for  us  to  glance  over  some  of  the  events  which  had 
occurred  immediately  before  the  sailing  of  the  troops 
from  Manila,  in  order  to  understand  the  situation  as 
Gilbert  and  his  fellow-soldiers  found  it,  on  their 
arrival  at  Taku. 

The  real  trouble  dated  back  to  years  before,  when 
China  and  Japan  went  to  war,  the  result  of  which 
was  that  China  lost  her  ancient  dependency  of 
Korea;  and  a  general  "mix  up"  resulted  in  Japan 
taking  the  island  of  Formosa,  and  Russia  taking 
Manchuria,  Port  Arthur,  and  other  strategic  points. 
This  was  followed  by  England's  occupation  of  Wei- 

60 


WHAT   CAUSED   THE    WAR  61 

Hai-Wei,  and  Germany's  seizure  of  Kaio-Chau. 
And  then  these  powers  and  others  went  even  fur- 
ther, by  establishing  what  were  known  as  Spheres 
of  Influence  throughout  the  Celestial  Kingdom. 

In  the  past  China  had  lost  ground  only  in  her  out- 
lying districts  or  territories.  Now  one  of  her  origi- 
nal eighteen  provinces  was  opened  to  the  foreigners ; 
and  probably  the  Chinese  felt  as  Americans  might 
have  felt  had  somebody  tampered  with  the  rights  of 
the  citizens  living  in  one  of  our  thirteen  original 
States.  Railroads  were  built  against  the  Chinese 
will;  and,  because  of  resistance  to  the  workers  on 
the  roads,  two  whole  Chinese  villages  were  razed, 
and  the  inhabitants  driven  forth,  homeless. 

The  anti-foreign  feeling  had  been  strong ;  and  now, 
as  the  Chinese  saw  the  Europeans  gradually  closing 
down  upon  them,  with  here  and  there  a  number  of 
Americans  as  well,  the  feeling  against  the  "foreign 
devils" — as  all  people  of  white  skin  are  called — 
grew  hotter  and  hotter. 

The  missionaries  were  the  first  to  feel  the  pressure 
brought  to  bear  by  the  Boxers,  who,  in  secret  con- 
clave, determined  that  all  foreigners  must  either 
be  driven  from  the  country  or  slain.     Notices  were 


62  ON   TO   PEKIN 

posted  on  the  churches  and  houses,  ordering  the  mis- 
sionaries to  depart  within  a  week  or  a  moon  or  three 
moons,  under  penalty  of  death;  and  all  merchants, 
traders,  and  travellers  were  also  warned  to  leave. 

A  few  paid  heed  to  these  warnings ;  but  the  major- 
ity decided  that  they  had  a  right  to  stay,  and  re- 
mained. They  had  been  guaranteed  protection  by 
the  Chinese  government,  under  treaties  made  with 
their  home  governments ;  and  the  missionaries  were 
also  promised  protection  by  the  Chinamen  they  had 
converted.  But,  when  the  storm  broke,  the  con- 
verted Chinamen  suffered  as  much  as  did  those  who 
had  converted  them. 

What  led  to  the  first  fight  of  1900  it  would  be  hard 
to  say ;  but  the  troubles  began  early  in  the  year,  when 
Dr.  Brooks,  who  had  sheltered  the  German  engineer 
for  whom  the  Chinese  were  searching  in  his  house, 
was  murdered  on  January  2.  This  act  was  quickly 
followed  by  the  slaying  of  a  number  of  other  mission- 
aries and  of  foreigners  generally,  until  by  May  the 
whole  civilized  world  woke  up  to  the  fact  that  no 
white  people  in  China  would  be  safe  unless  they 
were  defended  by  their  own  countrymen.  The 
Chinese  government  could  not  suppress  the  Boxer 


WHAT   CAUSED   THE   ¥AK  63 

movement,  even  if  it  felt  so  inclined,  which  was 
doubtful. 

The  greatest  uprising  was  in  the  provinces  of 
Pechili  and  Shantung,  situated  in  the  extreme  east 
of  the  empire,  on  the  Yellow  Sea  and  the  Gulf  of 
Pechili.  Here  the  Pei-Ho  (Ho  means  river)  empties 
into  the  gulf,  with  the  forts  of  Taku  on  one  side  and 
the  village  of  Tongku  on  the  other.  Back  of  the 
Taku  forts  is  Taku  village,  and  twenty-seven  miles 
up  the  stream  lies  the  important  city  of  Tien-Tsin. 
From  Tien-Tsin  to  Pekin  is  about  eighty  miles,  but 
navigation  on  the  river  does  not  extend  the  entire 
distance. 

Finding  that  they  could  not  hold  their  own  in  the 
villages  in  which  they  were  located,  missionaries  and 
other  foreigners  in  and  around  Pekin  and  Tien-Tsin 
gradually  congregated  in  the  cities  named,  under  the 
protection  of  their  home  consuls,  until  the  various 
American,  English,  German,  French,  Italian,  and 
other  foreign  legations  became  crowded  with  people 
all  clamoring  for  aid,  with  Boxers  on  the  outside 
howling  that  they  be  driven  out  or  slain.  By 
June  1  matters  had  reached  an  acute  stage;  and 
the  outside  powers  felt  that  something  must  be  done, 


64  ON   TO   PEKIN 

or  China  would  witness  one  of  the  most  barbarous 
slaughters  in  the  annals  of  history.  No  war  was 
declared  on  China;  but  the  government  was  given 
to  understand  that  each  outside  nation  intended  to 
rescue  its  own  people,  no  matter  at  what  cost. 

The  first  movement  of  the  foreign  nations,  or  the 
Allies,  as  they  were  termed,  was  from  Tien-Tsin.  All 
the  nations  had  sent  warships  up  to  the  Gulf  of 
Pechili,  and  from  these  were  landed  a  force  of  twenty- 
five  hundred  marines  and  soldiers,  under  the  general 
command  of  Admiral  Seymour  of  the  British  Navy, 
he  being  the  highest  in  rank  of  any  of  the  officers 
present.  With  this  force  were  one  hundred  marines 
from  the  United  States  cruiser  Newark,  under  the 
command  of  Captain  McCalla. 

News  had  come  that  the  legations  at  Pekin  were  in 
a  state  of  siege,  and  that  all  the  foreign  ministers 
were  either  murdered  or  about  to  be  slain,  and  that 
hundreds  of  foreigners  were  already  dead ;  and  the 
object  of  the  expedition  was  to  relieve  those  at  the 
capital.  But  the  force  was  altogether  too  small  for 
the  purpose  in  view.  It  was  stopped  long  before 
Pekin  was  in  sight,  and  escaped  total  annihilation 
only  by  what  seemed  almost  a  miracle. 


WHAT  CAUSED  THE  "WAR  65 

On  June  15  it  was  decided  by  several  of  the 
European  powers  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  take 
possession  of  the  railroad  station  at  Tongku,  so  that 
communications  could  be  opened  with  the  advancing 
army  by  rail.  In  the  meantime  a  strong  force  of 
Boxers  and  Chinese  troops  had  taken  possession  of 
the  Taku  forts.  As  this  was  a  menace  to  the  war- 
ships in  the  harbor,  orders  were  served  that  the 
Chinese  must  vacate  the  forts,  or  they  would  be 
bombarded.  The  Chinese  paid  no  attention  to  the 
orders. 

The  American  warships  had  no  authority  to  attack 
at  that  time,  so  the  bombardment  of  the  forts  was  con- 
ducted by  the  European  gunboats,  the  cruisers  finding 
the  water  too  shallow  for  them.  Three  Russian,  one 
British,  one  French,  and  one  German  craft  took  part 
in  the  engagement.  One  of  the  Russian  boats  was 
badly  disabled,  and  the  Allies  lost  twenty  men  killed 
and  had  over  sixty  wounded.  The  Chinese  loss 
was  over  four  hundred,  and  after  seven  hours'  fight- 
ing the  forts  were  stormed  by  the  sailors  and  the 
Celestials  fled.  During  the  engagement  the  Ameri- 
can vessel  Monocacy  was  struck,  but  the  shot  did 
little  damage. 


66  ON   TO   PEKIN 

The  taking  of  the  Taku  forts  aroused  the  Chinese 
as  never  before;  and  a  retreat  was  ordered  to  the 
Chinese  quarter  of  Tien-Tsin,  and  from  this  terri- 
tory began  an  active  bombardment  of  the  foreign 
quarter  of  the  city.  The  fighting  was  now  on  in 
earnest,  and  where  it  would  end  no  man  or  nation 
could  tell. 

From  Nagasaki  the  transport  was  to  proceed  to 
Taku,  but  further  than  that  no  one  on  board  knew ; 
for  the  future  movements  of  the  troops  would  depend 
entirely  upon  circumstances. 

"  We  are  out  for  some  hot  fighting,  I  am  certain 
of  that,"  said  Major  Morris  to  Gilbert,  as  the  pair  sat 
on  the  deck  late  on  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day 
out  from  Manila.  It  was  cloudy,  and  there  was  a 
breeze  blowing,  which  made  it  quite  comfortable,  con- 
sidering they  were  in  the  tropics. 

"  I  believe  you,  major ;  and  I've  been  wondering  if 
it  wouldn't  be  a  good  plan  to  put  the  boys  through 
some  chilling.  They  have  been  going  it  rather  as 
they  pleased  up  at  Tarlac." 

"  The  colonel  says  he  will  begin  drilling  to-morrow. 
He  wishes  the  boys  to  get  their  sea  legs  first." 

"I've  been  wondering  how  the  Chinese  are  armed. 


WHAT  CAUSED   THE   WAR  67 

Are   they  as  backward  in   that  as   in  some   other 

things?" 

"Hardly.  You  see  the  war  with  Japan  opened 
their  eyes ;  and  since  that  time  they  have  been  drill- 
ing their  soldiers  under  the  directions  of  European 
officers,  and  supplying  them  with  the  best  rifles  in 
the  market.  I  understand,  too,  that  their  forts  are 
supplied  with  Krupp  guns." 

"  Then  we  won't  have  a  walk-over." 

"By  no  means,  and  for  two  reasons.  First  they 
are  well  armed,  and  in  the  second  place  there  are  so 
many  of  them  that  they  may  overpower  the  Allies  by 
mere  force  of  numbers.  Nothing  is  known  of  Ad- 
miral Seymour's  relief  party,  and  I  shouldn't  be  sur- 
prised if  he  and  brave  Captain  McCalla's  men  had 
been  annihilated." 

"Do  you  think  we  are  bound  for  Tien-Tsin?" 

"  I  think  we  are  bound  for  the  Pei-Ho.  The  gov- 
ernment intends  to  get  into  Pekin,  and  save  Minister 
Conger  and  his  legation,  as  well  as  the  other  Ameri- 
cans. We  may  have  a  long  fight  to  get  there, 
though." 

"Somebody  said  there  had  been  a  good  deal  of 
fighting  around  Tien-Tsin  already." 


68  ON   TO  PEKIN 

"I  don't  doubt  it;  but  you  can't  believe  all  that  is 
reported,  for  the  Chinese  hold  a  good  many  lines 
of  communication." 

"  It  looks  to  me  as  if  China  was  defying  the  whole 
civilized  world." 

"  They  don't  want  our  religion  or  our  people,  and 
they  don't  want  us  to  come  over  there  and  show 
them  how  to  do  things  and  to  make  improvements. 
They  want  to  be  left  severely  alone." 

"  But  we  have  lots  of  Chinamen  in  our  country." 

"True  enough;  but  the  stay-at-home  Celestial  be- 
lieves that  his  neighbor  ought  to  stay  at  home,  too. 
The  average  Chinaman,  so  I've  heard,  doesn't  believe 
in  moving  about;  and  millions  of  them  have  never 
been  fifty  miles  from  home  in  their  lives.  They 
know  absolutely  nothing  of  the  outside  world,  and 
our  civilization  is  a  closed  book  to  them." 

"  Do  you  know  how  many  troops  the  government 
intends  to  send  to  China?" 

"  I've  heard  that  it  is  to  be  upward  of  ten  thou- 
sand. General  Chaffee  is  to  leave  San  Francisco 
with  some  troops  soon, —  or  he  has  left  already, — 
and,  when  he  arrives,  he  is  to  take  command  of 
She  American  forces  on  land." 


WHAT  CAUSED   THE  WAR  69 

'*  Why,  I  met  General  Chaffee  in  Cuba  1 "  cried  Gil- 
bert. "He  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  Santiago 
campaign." 

"  Yes,  and  he  is  an  old  and  experienced  army  offi- 
cer to  boot.  I  think  he  will  prove  the  right  man  in 
the  right  place." 

"  He's  all  right,  I  reckon,"  put  in  a  voice  behind 
Gilbert  at  this  juncture.  "Lieutenant,  you  didn't 
expect  to  meet  me  as  a  fellow-passenger,  did  you?" 

The  young  lieutenant  turned  swiftly,  for  the  voice 
had  a  familiar  sound.  He  was  almost  struck  dumb 
to  find  himself  face  to  face  with  Nuggy  Polk  and  his 
boon  companion,  Jerry  Nickerson. 


CHAPTER  Vin 

A  DISCOVERY   ON  SKLPBOABD 

"What!  you?"  stammered  Gilbert.  For  the 
moment  he  did  not  know  what  to  say. 

A  brief  glance  told  him  that  Nuggy  Polk  had 
entirely  recovered  from  his  spree  of  three  days 
before;  and  so,  also,  had  Jerry  Nickerson.  Both 
were  freshly  shaven,  and  dressed  in  clean  outing 
suits  of  the  latest  pattern ;  and  they  looked  as  bright 
young  Americans  as  are  to  be  found  anywhere. 

"Yes,  lieutenant,"  went  on  Nuggy  Polk,  with  a 
good-natured  laugh.  "  As  I  said  before,  you  didn't 
expect  to  see  me,  did  you  ?  " 

"Hardly,"  answered  Gilbert,  slowly.  He  was  try- 
ing to  determine  how  he  should  treat  this  fellow, 
who  was  in  reality  his  enemy.  "  How  did  you  man- 
age to  obtain  passage  on  this  transport  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  had  to  use  a  bit  of  diplomacy  in  order  to 
get  myself  and  my  friend  Jerry  aboard;  and  it 
wouldn't  be  just  right  to  expose  how  it  was  done. 

70 


A  DISCOVERY   ON   SHIPBOARD  71 

You.  see,  our  little  outing  to  the  military  camp  up  at 
the  Manila  water-works  made  us  miss  the  regular 
steamer.  But  I  was  bound  to  get  to  China,  anyway, 
and  as  soon  as  possible ;  and  here  we  are." 

"Perhaps  you  intend  to  join  the  army?"  sug- 
gested Gilbert. 

"  Hardly."  Nuggy  Polk  glanced  at  Major  Morris. 
"Won't  you  introduce  your  friend?  I  know  pre- 
cious few  fellows  on  board,  and  I  should  like  to  get 
acquainted." 

The  major  was  introduced ;  and  then  Nuggy  Polk 
introduced  "his  one  particular  friend,"  Jerry  Nicker- 
son. 

"  Sorry  I  can't  invite  you  down  to  the  bar,"  said 
Polk.  "But  the  government  isn't  up  to  date  on 
those  things."     And  he  gave  a  light  laugh. 

"And  a  good  thing,"  answered  Major  Morris. 
"We  want  to  keep  all  our  soldiers  sober."  He 
spoke  pointedly;  for  Gilbert  had  told  him  of  the 
first  meeting  with  the  sporty  young  man,  and  also  of 
his  family  affairs,  so  far  as  they  concerned  the  doings 
of  the  Richmond  Importing  Company. 

Nuggy  Polk's  face  grew  red,  and  he  looked  on  the 
point  of  saying  something  bitter;  but  this  passed  off^ 


72  ON  TO  PEKIN 

and  he  changed  the  subject  by  remarking  that  he 
hoped  the  trip  to  China  would  prove  a  pleasant  one. 

"  I  understand  Nagasaki  is  the  first  stop,"  put  in 
Nickerson.  "  How  long  do  you  suppose  it  will  take 
to  reach  that  Japanese  port  ?  " 

"  Five  or  six  days,  most  likely,"  answered  Gilbert. 
"It  will  depend  somewhat  on  the  weather.  These 
waters  are  full  of  islands  and  reefs,  and  a  ship  has  to 
be  mighty  careful  how  she  runs  in  foul  weather." 

"  I  hope  we  reach  China  in  time  to  see  the  first 
real  fighting,"  was  Major  Morris's  comment;  and 
then  he  was  called  away,  and  Gilbert  was  left  alone 
with  his  new  acquaintances. 

"Lieutenant,  I  owe  you  something  for  what  you 
did  for  us  the  other  night,"  said  Nuggy  Polk,  confi- 
dentially. "I  don't  know  how  I  should  have  got 
back  to  Manila  if  it  hadn't  been  for  you." 

"  I  am  glad  I  was  of  service  to  you,"  answered  Gil- 
bert, coolly. 

"  But  I  owe  you  something,  and  I  want  to  pay 
you,"  insisted  the  young  man  from  Richmond,  as  he 
drew  his  ever-present  roll  of  bills  from  his  pocket. 

"  I  want  no  pay  for  what  I  did  at  Manila,"  an- 
swered the  young  lieutenant,  decidedly. 


A   DISCOVERY   ON   SHIPBOARD  73 

"  But  you  put  yourself  out  a  good  deal." 

"If  I  did,  it's  all  right." 

"  You  acted  as  if  you  were  my  bosom  friend." 

"  Thank  you  for  the  compliment." 

"  Don't  you  think  I  mean  it? " 

«  Certainly  I  do,  Mr.  Polk." 

"Don't  Mister  me,  lieutenant.  Call  me  Nuggy. 
I'm  not  proud,  even  if  I  have  money  to  spend." 

"  Then,  Nuggy,  let  me  tell  you  that  it  is  all  right, 
and  that  I  don't  wish  a  cent  of  your  money." 

"  But  you  might  as  well  have  it." 

"Oh,  don't  offend  the  lieutenant,"  put  in  Nicker- 
son,  as  Gilbert  remained  silent.  "  If  he  doesn't  want 
your  money,  put  it  up." 

"  I  don't  wish  to  offend  anybody,  and  I  will  put  it 
up,"  said  Nuggy  Polk,  stiffly.  "  But,  if  he  wants  ten 
or  twenty  dollars,  he  is  welcome  to  it." 

"Thanks,  but  you  can't  hire  me  to  take  it," 
laughed  Gilbert.  "Let  us  talk  about  something 
else.  Tell  me  about  Richmond.  I  am  always  in- 
terested in  news  from  Virginia.  You  told  me,  I  be- 
lieve, that  you  are  in  the  importing  trade." 

"  Yes,  my  father  and  I  run  the  Richmond  Import- 
ing Company.     We  export  as  well  as  import." 


74  ON   TO   PEKEN 

"  And  you  have  some  trade  in  China,  so  you  said." 

"Yes,  a  large  trade, —  with  Shanghai  and  Tien- 
Tsin." 

"  I  am  afraid  that  your  trade  is  going  to  suffer  on 
account  of  this  war." 

"  That  depends  upon  how  you  look  at  it.  My  be- 
lief is  that  this  war  won't  amount  to  shucks." 

"Exactly  my  idea,"  broke  in  Jerry  Nickerson. 
"The  soldiers  will  go  there  and  relieve  the  minis- 
ters, and  that  will  be  the  end  of  it.  No  foreign 
power  will  dare  to  make  war  on  China  because  of 
the  other  powers." 

"I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  war  is  already 
on  around  Taku  and  Tien-Tsin,"  answered  Gilbert. 
"  The  forts  at  the  mouth  of  the  Pei-Ho  have  been 
taken,  and  that  will  probably  madden  the  Chinese  be- 
yond endurance." 

"  Humph !  A  good  deal  of  that  is  all  talk,"  said 
Nuggy  Polk.  "When  I  reach  Tien-Tsin,  I  expect  to 
have  no  trouble  whatever  in  landing  and  in  transact- 
ing business." 

"  You  are  going  to  do  business  in  Tien-Tsin  ?  " 

"  I  am,  if  I  can  find  a  man  I  am  after, —  a  certain 
Amos  Bartlett." 


A   DISCOVERY   ON   SHIPBOAED  75 

"You  speak  as  if  you  had  a  bone  to  pick  with 
him,"  said  Gilbert,  more  to  draw  Nuggy  Polk  out 
than  because  he  thought  this  was  so. 

"  I  have,  and  a  big  one,"  answered  the  young  man, 
frowning.  "  Bartlett  is  getting  too  big  for  his  boots. 
He  has  either  got  to  get  out  of  the  company  or  there 
will  be  trouble." 

"If  the  company  is  making  money,  perhaps  he 
won't  want  to  get  out." 

"  We'll  force  him  out.  He  is  a  bother,  and  in  the 
way." 

"  It  is  not  always  so  easy  to  force  a  man  out  of 
a  thing,  —  especially  if  he  knows  what  a  good  thing 
it  is." 

"I  will  do  the  trick,"  said  Nuggy  Polk,  with  a 
wink.  "  Trust  me  to  work  any  deal  that  is  to  my 
advantage." 

At  this  moment  came  an  order  from  Captain  Ban- 
ner for  company  drill,  and  Gilbert  had  to  leave  the 
pair.  No  sooner  had  he  gone  than  Jerry  Nickerson 
said  in  a  low  tone,  "Nuggy,  I  wouldn't  be  so  free 
about  talking  over  private  affairs  with  an  outsider." 

"Oh,  he's  only  a  common  soldier,  Jerry.  What 
harm  can  it  do?" 


76  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"  Never  mind.  I  would  be  more  close-mouthed  if  I 
were  you." 

"  You  get  scared  when  there  is  absolutely  nothing 
to  scare  you." 

"  I  think  it  pays  to  be  cautious." 

"I  am  cautious — when  there  is  need  for  it." 

"No,  you  are  not.  Before  you  get  through,  you 
will  tell  everybody  that  you  are  going  to  do  Amos 
Bartlett  out  of  his  shares  in  the  Richmond  Importing 
Company." 

"Bosh!" 

"  All  right.     I  know  you." 

"  See  here,  Jerry  Nickerson,  who  is  running  this 
affair?"  cried  Nuggy  Polk,  angrily.  "You  talk  as  if 
I  were  a  child  in  apron-strings." 

"I  am  only  trying  to  give  you  a  bit  of  sound 
advice;  but  you  won't  take  it,  and  perhaps  you'll 
have  to  suffer." 

"  Rats ! "  was  the  sporty  young  man's  characteristic 
response,  and  he  stalked  off  to  watch  the  drill. 

In  the  confined  space  on  the  transport  but  little 
marching  could  be  done,  yet  one  company  after 
another  went  through  the  manual  of  arms,  including 
the  acts  of  loading,  aiming,  and  firing  at  an  imaginary 


A   DISCOVERY   ON   (SHIPBOARD  T7 

foe;  and  there  were  such  commands  as  "right  face," 
"left  wheel,"  and  the  like,  all  of  which  interested  the 
few  spectators  at  hand.  The  regimental  band  on 
board  played  from  time  to  time,  to  make  the  hours 
pass  more  pleasantly  and  keep  the  men  from  feeling 
homesick. 

Although  Nuggy  Polk  did  not  care  to  admit  it, 
Nickerson's  words  made  him  feel  somewhat  anxious 
concerning  his  talks  with  Gilbert.  In  a  dim  way  he 
remembered  something  of  what  he  had  said  on  the 
road  outside  of  Manila,  and  he  wondered  if  he  had 
told  more  than  was  desirable. 

"  I  was  a  fool  to  get  drunk,"  he  muttered  to  him- 
self. "  I'll  take  good  care  not  to  get  that  way  again." 
But  this  mental  promise  amounted  to  nothing,  for 
such  promises  had  been  made  and  broken  a  dozen 
times  before.  What  Nuggy  Polk  needed  was  a 
thorough  reformation,  and  this  could  not  come  too 
soon. 

While  the  company  of  which  Gilbert  was  first 
lieutenant  was  drilling,  Nuggy  Polk  drew  close  to  a 
group  of  soldiers  from  another  command  who  were 
watching  the  manoeuvres,  and  entered  into  conversation 
with  one  of  the  number. 


78  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"  They  seem  to  do  first-rate,"  said  he.  "  I  reckon 
they  have  a  first-class  captain." 

"Yes,  Captain  Banner  is  all  right,"  answered  the 
private  addressed.  "  He  is  an  old  officer,  and  went 
through  the  fights  in  Cuba  before  he  came  to  the 
Philippines." 

"  And  Lieutenant  Gilbert  seems  to  know  his  busi- 
ness, too,"  went  on  the  young  man. 

"  You  mean  Lieutenant  Pennington,"  corrected  the 
soldier. 

"  Pennington  I "  exclaimed  Nuggy  Polk.  "  I  mean 
that  officer  there."    And  he  pointed  with  his  hand. 

"  That  is  Lieutenant  Pennington." 

"  His  full  name  is  Gilbert  Pennington,"  put  in  a 
soldier  standing  by,  who  had  overheard  the  conver- 
sation. 

"  Humph !  He  told  me  it  was  Gilbert.  I  wonder 
why — by  George!"  And  of  a  sudden  Nuggy  Polk's 
face  grew  dark. 

"What  did  you  say?"  asked  the  soldier  the  young 
man  had  first  addressed. 

"Nothing, —  that  is,  I  was  under  the  impression 
the  lieutenant's  last  name  was  Gilbert.  Where  does 
he  come  from,  do  you  know?  " 


A   DISCOVERY    ON    SHIPBOARD  79 

**  He's  a  Southerner." 

"  You  don't  know  anything  about  him  further  than 
that?" 

The  soldier  shook  his  head.  "  I  might  find  out  for 
you,"  he  added. 

"Thanks,  but  it  won't  be  necessary,"  replied 
Nuggy  Polk,  and  walked  away,  his  mind  filled  with 
sudden  and  strange  forebodings. 


CHAPTER  IX 

GILBERT  BEACHES  A  CONCLUSION 

"  If  that  fellow  has  been  playing  me  for  a  fool,  he 
had  better  look  out  for  himself  I " 

Such  was  the  conclusion  which  Nuggy  Polk 
reached,  after  thinking  over  what  he  had  learned  and 
what  had  taken  place  between  himself  and  Gilbert 
since  the  two  had  met  on  the  road  outside  of  Manila. 
The  young  man  was  thoroughly  out  of  humor,  and 
was  aching  to  "  pitch  into  "  the  young  lieutenant. 

"  Well,  Nuggy,  you  look  as  black  as  a  thunder- 
cloud," said  Jerry  Nickerson,  as  he  strolled  up. 
"  Don't  take  what  I  said  so  much  to  heart.  I  only 
wanted  to  give  you  a  friendly  bit  of  advice."  / 

"  I  know  ^ou  did ;  and  it's  too  bad  that  you  didn't 
give  it  to  me  before,"  answered  the  young  man, 
bitterly,  and  before  he  had  a  chance  to  think  twice. 

«  Why,  what  do  you  mean  ?  Has  something  hap- 
pened ?  " 

**  It  has  and  it  hasn't.  That  lieutenant's  name  is 
80 


GILBEKT   BEACHES   A   CONCLUSION  81 

Pennington  —  Gilbert  Pennington  —  instead  of  just 
Gilbert.  He  deceived  me  when  lie  introduced  him- 
self." 

"  Perhaps  you  didn't  catch  his  full  name." 

"I  am  sure  I  caught  what  he  said.  Don't  you 
suppose,  if  he  had  said  Pennington,  I  should  have 
remembered  it  ?  " 

"Possibly  not.  A  fellow  doesn't  remember  all  the 
names  he  hears." 

"  But  this  case  is  different,  Jerry.  The  name 
Pennington  is  one  I  shall  remember,  no  matter  where 
I  hear  it." 

Jerry  Nickerson  looked  puzzled  for  a  moment,  and 
then  emitted  a  low  whistle.  "  By  Jove !  I  had  for- 
gotten. It  was  a  Jefferson  Pennington  who  started 
the  Richmond  Importing  Company,  and  whose  widow 
gave  your  father  so  much  trouble." 

"  Exactly ;  and,  for  all  I  know,  this  lieutenant  may 
be  some  relative  of  that  man.  He  comes  from 
Virginia." 

"  That  is  rather  far-fetched.  Still,  it  may  be ;  and, 
if  I  were  you,  I'd  be  for  finding  out." 

"  I  will  find  out  —  and  pretty  quick,  too." 

"Hold  onl   You  mustn't  let  him   know  you  are 


82  ON   TO   PEKJN 

suspicious,  Nuggy.  Go  to  somebody  else,  and  find 
out." 

"I  am  not  afraid  of  him;  and,  if  he  has  been 
playing  the  sneak,  I'll  give  him  a  bit  of  my  mind,  I 
can  tell  you  that." 

"You  must  remember  that  he  is  an  officer,  and 
that  his  colonel  is  in  control  here.  If  you  do  any- 
thing rash,  the  young  officer  may  have  you  put  in  the 
brig  for  it." 

"Do  you  think  they  would  dare  to  go  as  far  as 
that  ?  "  questioned  Nuggy,  looking  much  disturbed. 

"  They  would  dare  do  almost  anything.  On  an 
expedition  like  this,  private  citizens  are  counted  as 
being  in  the  way,  at  the  best." 

"Then,  of  course,  I'll  have  to  pull  in  my  horns, 
Jerry.  But  it  makes  me  mad  to  think  he  may  have 
been  imposing  on  me." 

"  If  I  were  you,  I'd  try  to  find  out  something  about 
him  from  the  other  soldiers ;  and,  if  he  really  is  a  rela- 
tive to  Jefferson  Pennington,  and  is  trying  to  pump 
you  in  order  to  get  money  out  of  your  father,  then 
I'd  run  a  game  up  his  back." 

"How?" 

*«  I  wouldn't  let  him  know  what  I  had  learned,  and 


GILBERT   EEACHES   A   CONCLUSION  83 

I'd  continue  to  treat  him  as  a  friend;  and  at  the 
same  time  I'd  let  drop  that  I  was  doing  things  on 
the  square,  and  that  the  Penningtons  had  got  all  that 
was  coming  to  them  out  of  the  Importing  Company." 

This  advice  seemed  to  strike  Nuggy  Polk's  fancy, 
and  he  said  that  he  would  follow  it.  For  the 
rest  of  the  day  he  avoided  Gilbert,  and  spent  the 
time  in  trying  to  find  somebody  who  could  give  him 
something  of  the  young  lieutenant's  history. 

By  chance  he  struck  Carl  Stummer,  whom  he  had 
seen  in  conversation  with  Gilbert  a  number  of  times. 
Stummer  had  taken  greatly  to  the  young  lieutenant 
ever  since  the  pair  had  been  thrown  together,  and 
knew  a  good  deal  of  the  young  officer's  past. 

"Your  first  lieutenant  seems  to  be  a  popular 
man,"  said  Nuggy  Polk,  by  way  of  an  opening. 

"  Lieutenant  Pennington  vos  von  goot  fellow,"  an- 
swered Stummer.  "  Of  all  dere  officers  vos  so  goot, 
der  army  vould  been  a  baradise,  almost." 

"  I  understand  he  is  a  Southerner,  like  myself." 

"  Dot  vos  so ;  but  he  vos  in  New  York  ven  he  got 
der  var  fever,  und  enlisted  mit  der  Rough  Riders  for 
Cuba.     You  neffer  enlisted,  eh  ?  " 

"  No.     I  —  er — couldn't  get  away  from  business." 


84  ON   TO   PEKLN 

"Votyouvos  do  on  der  dransport,  den?  Maype 
you  vos  von  newsbaber  man  ?  " 

"  That's  a  little  in  my  line.  Here,  have  a  cigar." 
Nuggy  Polk  passed  over  a  weed.  "  I  am  interested 
in  the  lieutenant.  Did  you  ever  hear  of  what  busi- 
ness he  was  in  ?  " 

"  I  dink  he  vos  a  pook-keeper  ven  der  var  proke 
out." 

"  I  used  to  know  some  Penningtons  down  South," 
went  on  Nuggy  Polk,  boldly.  "They  were  in  an 
importing  company  at  Richmond." 

"  Der  lieutenant's  fadder  vos  vonce  in  an  imbort- 
ing  company  in  Richmond.  I  heard  him  tell  mine 
friend  Captain  Russell  so  von  tay." 

"Indeed!"  Nuggy  Polk  paused  a  moment. 
"  Well,  it  doesn't  matter  particularly,"  he  went  on ; 
and  then  asked  Carl  Stummer  about  his  life  in  the 
army,  and  spoke  of  what  might  be  expected  in 
China,  thus  trying  to  put  the  German  soldier  "off 
the  track,"  as  he  afterward  told  Nickerson. 

Nuggy  Polk  had  learned  enough  to  convince  him 
that  Gilbert  was  either  the  son  of  Jefferson  Penning- 
ton or  closely  related  to  the  dead  man;  and  the 
news  disturbed  him  a  good  deal. 


GILBERT  BEACHES   A   CONCLUSION  85 

"For  all  I  know,  he  may  have  been  spying  on  me 
in  Manila,"  he  said  to  Nickerson. 

"I  don't  see  how  he  can  possibly  hurt  you,"  was 
the  reply.  "Perhaps  he  knows  little  or  nothing  of 
the  past." 

"Then  what  was  his  object  in  introducing  himself 
as  Lieutenant  Gilbert?     I  half  believe  he  followed 
us  from  Manila.     The  clerk  at  the  hotel  said  some- 
thing  about  his  being  there  earlier  in  the  day,  al- 
though I  didn't  pay  any  attention  to  it  at  the  time." 
"As  an  officer  in  the  army,  he  has  got  to  attend  to 
his  official  duties.     If  I  were  J0U,  rd  leaye  him  ge_ 
verely  alone ;  and  I  believe  the  whole  thing  will  drop 
then  and  there.      Even  if  he  is  Jefferson  Penning, 
ton's  son,  he  can't  rake  up  that  old  claim,  can  he?" 

"  I  don't  know  but  that  he  can.  Your  father  was 
the  lawyer  who  passed  on  the  papers  in  the  case,  and 
you  have  had  all  his  records  since  he  died.  You 
ought  to  know  more  about  it  than  I  do." 

At  this,  Jerry  Nickerson's  face  took  on  a  cunning 
look.  «I  do  know  a  good  deal,  and  don't  deny  it. 
But  I  reckon  your  father  is  safe -if  he  keeps  his 
mouth  shut." 

"This  Pennington  may  combine  with  Amos  Bart- 


86  ON   TO   PEKIN 

lett.  I  was  foolish  enough  to  name  Bartlett  to 
him." 

"Yes,  that  was  a  bad  move,  Nuggy.  After  this 
you  must  be  as  mum  as  an  oyster." 

Nuggy  Polk  agreed  to  this,  yet  he  felt  very  much 
as  if  he  was  locking  the  stable  door  after  the  horse 
was  stolen.  It  is  said  that  "  a  guilty  conscience  is  its 
own  accuser,"  and  it  was  largely  so  in  the  present 
instance. 

On  the  third  day  out,  the  island  of  Formosa  was 
sighted  far  in  the  west;  and  the  course  was  now 
north-north-east,  past  numerous  small  islands  and 
rocks,  straight  for  Nagasaki,  which  lies,  as  many  of 
my  young  readers  must  know,  close  to  the  entrance 
to  the  Yellow  Sea.  The  weather  continued  to  be  all 
that  was  desired,  and  many  a  soldier,  tired  out  with 
his  campaigning  in  the  Philippines,  wished  that  the 
voyage  might  last  a  long  time. 

"  Sure,  an'  it  almost  makes  me  wisht  I  was  a 
sailor,"  observed  Dan  Casey,  "A  loife  on  the  rol- 
lin'  dape  seems  jest  to  suit  me." 

"  You  have  your  sea  legs  now,  Dan,"  replied  Gil- 
bert, who  stood  by.  "But  you  didn't  have  them 
when  we  came  to  the  Philippines." 


GILBERT  REACHES   A   CONCLUSION  87 

"Mine  cracious,  dot's  so!"  laughed  Carl  Stum- 
mer.  "Ton't  you  rememper  how  ve  rolled  und 
pitched  around  like  ve  vos  rupper  palls?"  he 
added  to  Casey. 

"Sure,  an'  I  do  that,"  responded  the  Irishman. 
"An'  do  yez  renumber  the  hurricane,  an'  how  it 
thundered  an'  lightninged  ?  " 

"Excuse  me,  put  I  ton't  vont  no  sthorm,"  said 
Carl.  "  Dot  vos  enough  to  last  a  whole  life  und  two 
veeks  more,  py  chiminy  1 "  And  he  shook  his  head 
gravely. 

A  moment  later  he  saw  Nuggy  Polk  pass,  in  com- 
pany with  Nickerson,  and  called  Gilbert's  attention 
to  the  pair. 

"  Dot  man  on  der  outside  vos  ask  me  apout  you, 
lieutenant,"  he  said.  "  He  seemed  to  pe  anxious  to 
know  you." 

"Indeed?"  said  Gilbert.  "What  did  he  ask 
you?" 

As  well  as  he  could,  Stummer  repeated  the  con- 
versation he  had  had  with  Nuggy  Polk.  The  reader 
can  well  imagine  that  the  young  lieutenant  listened 
with  interest. 

"  I  am  much  obliged,  Carl,"  he  said  at  the  conclu- 


88  ON   TO   PEKIN 

sion.  "I'll  have  a  talk  with  the  fellow  later  on." 
And  then  he  walked  away,  to  think  the  matter  over. 

He  was  much  perplexed,  and  hardly  knew  what  to 
do  next.  Would  it  be  possible  to  corner  Polk,  and, 
if  so,  would  the  game  be  worth  the  candle  ? 

"  The  thing  happened  so  many  years  ago,  and  at 
the  best  the  matter  would  drag  through  the  courts, 
perhaps  for  years,"  he  reasoned.  "  And  to  prosecute 
the  Polks  would  take  a  lot  of  money,  which  I  haven't 
got.     It  looks  like  a  wild-goose  chase." 

Major  Morris  found  him  seated  on  a  camp-chair  in 
a  corner  of  the  deck,  deep  in  thought.  The  sun  had 
set  far  over  the  land  in  the  west ;  and  the  stars  were 
peeping  forth  one  by  one,  dotting  the  flowing  and 
rolling  ocean  with  innumerable  tiny  lights.  At  the 
bow  of  the  transport  a  dozen  soldiers  were  singing, — 
one  old  favorite  of  home  after  another, —  and  at  the 
stern  somebody  was  strumming  a  banjo,  and  two  pri- 
vates were  doing  a  "  buck  and  wing "  dance  to  the 
delight  of  the  onlookers. 

"You  look  serious,  lieutenant,"  observed  the 
major,  as  he  dropped  in  a  chair  beside  Gilbert. 

"  I  feel  a  bit  serious,"  was  the  answer,  with  a  quiet 
smile.    *  Major,  I  should  like  your  advice." 


GILBERT   REACHES   A   CONCLUSION  89 

"  You  are  welcome  to  it.  Do  you  want  to  know 
what  I  think  of  that  young  man  you  pointed  out 
tome?" 

"Yes." 

"  I  think  he  is  an  equal  compound  of  conceit  and 
slyness, —  a  fellow  who  is  to  be  trusted  as  far  as  you 
can  see  him,  and  no  more." 

"  He  has  taken  the  pains  to  find  out  who  I  am." 

"  I  don't  wonder  at  it.  I  am  surprised  he  didn't 
do  so  before." 

"  As  he  now  knows  who  I  am,  he  must  know  that 
I  am  interested  in  the  case  which  my  mother  brought 
against  the  Richmond  Importing  Company." 

"  Undoubtedly,  and  he  will  do  all  he  can  to 
head  you  off  —  providing  you  make  any  movement 
he  thinks  detrimental  to  his  or  his  father's  interests." 

"  That  is  what  I  have  been  thinking,  and  I'm  won- 
dering if  it  would  be  worth  while  to  fight  the  thing." 

"  Not  unless  you  can  get  direct  evidence  against 
the  elder  Polk.  If  I  were  you,  I'd  try  to  hunt 
up  this  Amos  Bartlett  the  first  chance  I  got." 

"I'll  do  that." 

"  He  may  know  something,  or  be  able  to  put  you 
on  the  track  of  something." 


90  ON   TO  PBKIN 

"  I  hope  he  proves  a  friend." 

"  Perhaps  it  wouldn't  be  a  bad  plan  to  write  to 
some  first-class  lawyer  in  Richmond,  asking  him 
to  look  the  matter  up  for  you.  Very  often  you  can 
get  a  lawyer  to  take  up  a  case  on  shares,  if  he  thinks 
there  is  money  in  it." 

"  That's  an  idea !  "  cried  Gilbert.  "I  know  a  law- 
yer, a  good  fellow,  named  Branders,  whom  I  met  in 
Cuba.  He  was  from  Richmond,  and  I  know  he'll  do 
all  he  can  for  me." 

"Then  write  to  him  by  all  means,  stating  your 
case  in  detail,  and  tell  him  that  you  are  going  to 
hunt  up  Amos  Bartlett,  if  you  can." 

"  I  suppose  I  can  mail  the  letter  at  Nagasaki." 

"To  be  sure,  and  it  will  go  quicker  than  if  you 
had  mailed  it  at  Manila." 

"This  Polk  seems  to  be  very  thick  with  Mck- 
erson.  I  wonder  if  they  have  talked  me  over  be- 
tween them." 

"  If  they  talk  your  case  over,  it  is  a  pity  that  you 
can't  hear  what  is  said,"  returned  the  major,  pointedly. 
"I  believe  I  would  watch  every  move  they  make,  so 
far  as  was  in  my  power." 

"IwilL" 


GILBERT  REACHES  A  CONCLUSION  91 

"  Polk  is  no  doubt  your  enemy ;  and  you  have  a 
perfect  right  to  get  the  better  of  him,  if  you  can." 

By  this  time  others  were  coming  up,  Captain  Ban- 
ner and  two  under  officers ;  and  the  talk  became  gen- 
eral, the  coming  campaign  in  China  being,  however, 
the  chief  topic  of  conversation. 

Gilbert  was  sitting  with  his  back  to  a  window 
opening  into  the  upper  cabin  of  the  transport.  As 
the  topic  of  conversation  shifted,  a  form  arose  from  a 
settee  standing  in  the  cabin,  close  to  the  window,  the 
sash  of  which  had  been  lowered  to  let  in  the  air. 
The  form  was  that  of  Jerry  Nickerson,  and  the  young 
man  had  taken  in  all  that  had  been  said. 

"So  he  is  going  to  write  to  Ralph  Branders,  eh?" 
he  muttered,  as  he  strode  off.  "  And  he  is  going  to 
sound  Amos  Bartlett,  too.  I  reckon  this  will  make 
interesting  news  for  Nuggy.  I'll  have  to  hunt  him 
up  at  once,  and  see  what  he  has  to  say  about  it." 


CHAPTER  X 

ABOUT  AN  IMPORTANT  LETTEB 

Jeeey  Nickeeson  found  Nuggy  Polk  in  another 
portion  of  the  cabin,  reading  one  of  the  books  belong- 
ing to  the  ship's  library. 

"  Come  to  our  state-room,"  he  said.  "  I  have  some- 
thing important  to  tell  you." 

"What  about?" 

"  About  Gilbert  Pennington." 

Nuggy  arose  at  once,  and  followed  his  companion 
to  the  state-room  which  had  been  assigned  to  them. 
The  quarters  were  cramped;  but  they  were  much 
better  than  those  occupied  by  the  soldiers,  who  slept 
in  long  rows  of  canvas  cots,  suspended  between 
uprights  of  "gas-piping,"  as  the  supports  were  com- 
monly called.  Only  the  colonel  and  the  majors  had 
private  compartments :  even  the  captains  slept  with 
their  men. 

When  Nuggy  heard  what  his  chum  had  to  tell,  his 
face  grew  dark  and  full  of  bitter  hatred. 

82 


ABOUT   AN   IMPOETANT   LETTER  93 

"  That  makes  it  certain  he  is  in  a  game  against  me 
and  my  father,"  he  said.  "  Unless  I  take  good  care 
of  myself,  he  will  prove  a  regular  snake  in  the  grass. 
I  wish  I  could  pitch  him  overboard." 

"  You  will  have  to  be  extra  careful  of  what  you 
say  after  this,  Nuggy.  If  I  were  you,  I  wouldn't 
mention  the  Importing  Company  in  his  presence 
again." 

« I  won't." 

"  If  he  brings  up  the  subject,  treat  it  in  an  off- 
handed way,  and  try  to  convince  him  that  everytliing 
is  all  right,  and  that  you  were  fooling  when  you 
spoke  about  squeezing  out  those  other  people." 

"  Trust  me  to  smooth  it  over  —  if  I  get  the  chance," 
responded  Nuggy.  "  But  I  wish  I  could  get  hold  of 
that  letter  he  intends  to  send." 

The  next  day  slipped  by  without  the  young  lieu- 
tenant and  Polk  coming  into  contact  with  each  other. 
Gilbert  had  several  important  duties  to  attend  to,  and 
only  saw  Nuggy  from  a  distance.  In  the  evening 
Gilbert  sat  down  in  the  cabin  to  write  the  letter  to 
Ralph  Branders. 

It  was  no  easy  task  to  compose  the  epistle,  for  the 
young  lieutenant  hardly  knew  how  to  introduce  the 


94  ON   TO   PEKIN 

subject.  But  he  had  met  Branders  on  the  field  of 
San  Juan,  and  felt  that  he  could  trust  the  young  and 
rising  lawyer  thoroughly ;  and  he  ended  by  relating 
his  case  from  start  to  finish.  He  asked  Branders  to 
investigate,  and  promised  to  remunerate  the  lawyer 
as  far  as  was  within  his  means. 

Nuggy  saw  Gilbert  penning  the  letter,  and  watched 
him  very  much  as  a  cat  watches  a  mouse. 

"  I'd  give  a  hundred  dollars  to  get  that  letter  from 
him,"  the  young  man  said  to  himself.  But  how  this 
could  be  accomplished  without  the  young  lieutenant 
being  the  wiser  was  a  difficult  problem  to  solve. 

The  letter  finished,  Gilbert  placed  it  in  the  inner 
pocket  of  his  coat,  a  garment  which  he  wore  at  all 
times  when  on  duty.  Polk  had  hoped  to  see  him 
place  it  in  some  corner  or  in  the  general  mail-basket 
in  the  cabin,  and  was  much  disappointed. 

The  transport  continued  on  her  course  until,  late 
one  afternoon,  a  small  island  to  the  eastward  was 
sighted.  It  proved  to  be  Ujise,  about  one  hundred 
and  ten  miles  directly  south  of  Nagasaki. 

"We'll  reach  Nagasaki  to-morrow,"  said  Captain 
Banner  to  Gilbert.  "  And  I  must  say  that  I  shall  not 
be  sorry  to  finish  that  much  of  the  voyage." 


ABOUT   AN   IMPORTANT   LETTER  95 

"You  are  not  much  of  a  sea-dog,  captain." 

"It  isn't  that,  Pennington:  I  am  anxious  to  get 
into  the  fight, —  if  there  is  any  fighting." 

"Oh,  so  am  I,"  replied  Gilbert  quickly.  "I  am 
curious  to  learn  the  latest  news.  I  wonder  if  the 
Allies  have  moved  on  Tien-Tsin  yet?" 

"More  than  likely,  since  that  lies  between  Taku 
and  Pekin." 

The  day  was  cloudy,  and  toward  midnight  the 
wind  came  up  strongly.  As  the  course  of  the  trans- 
port was  now  along  numerous  islands  and  between 
dangerous  reefs,  she  had  to  proceed  slowly  and  with 
caution. 

For  some  reason  Gilbert  had  a  headache,  and 
retired  early.  As  was  usual,  he  slipped  off  only 
his  coat  and  shoes,  placing  the  former  under  his 
pillow. 

Although  he  did  not  know  it,  his  movements  were 
closely  watched  by  Nuggy  Polk,  who  had  made  up 
his  mind  that  he  must  obtain  possession  of  the  letter, 
were  such  a  thing  possible.  As  the  hour  was  early, 
there  were  but  few  soldiers  below.  So  the  coast  was 
comparatively  clear. 

Almost  holding  his  breath,  for  fear  of  awakening 


96  ON  TO  PEKIN 

the  sleeper,  Nuggy  approached  Gilbert  on  tiptoe,  and 
made  certain  that  the  young  lieutenant  was  in  the 
land  of  slumber.  Slowly  he  pulled  the  coat  from 
under  the  pillow,  and  inserted  his  hand  in  the 
pocket. 

The  letter  was  there,  along  with  several  unimpor- 
tant papers,  and  with  a  skill  worthy  of  a  better  cause 
the  young  man  brought  them  forth  and  thrust  them 
into  his  own  pocket.  This  done,  he  left  the  berth 
deck  silently  and  swiftly,  and  made  his  way  to  his 
state-room. 

"  By  Jove !  Nuggy,  you  look  scared,"  cried  Jerry 
Nickerson,  as  he  entered.     "  What  has  happened  ?  " 

"  Hush !  "  Nuggy  held  up  his  hand  warningly. 
"  I  just  got  that  letter  away  from  Pennington."  And 
in  a  whisper  he  related  how  the  deed  had  been  ac- 
complished. 

"  That  was  slick.  But  I'm  afraid,  when  Penning- 
ton finds  his  letter  missing,  he'll  write  another  in  its 
place." 

"He  won't  find  anything  missing,"  answered 
Nuggy,  with  a  grin. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  you  are  going  to  put  the  let- 
ter back  ?  "  demanded  Nickerson,  in  astonishments 


ABOUT  AN  IMPORTANT  LETTER  97 

"I'm  going  to  put  the  envelope  back  —  after  I 
have  refilled  it  with  several  sheets  of  blank  paper." 

"  By  Jove !  Nuggy,  you  are  getting  slicker  every 
day." 

"Ralph  Branders  won't  know  where  the  blank 
paper  came  from,,  and  of  course  he  won't  do  any- 
thing. In  the  mean  time  I  will  send  the  letter  to  my 
father,  with  the  full  particulars  of  all  I  have  learned ; 
and,  when  Pennington  makes  his  next  move,  we'll  be 
more  than  ready  for  him." 

With  great  care  Nuggy  Polk  opened  the  letter 
addressed  to  the  Richmond  lawyer,  being  cautious 
not  to  tear  the  envelope.  Once  open,  the  closely 
written  pages  inside  were  abstracted;  and  then  the 
envelope  was  refilled  with  pages  from  a  blank  writing 
pad,  after  which  it  was  sealed  up  once  more  as 
before. 

When  Nuggy  revisited  the  berth  deck,  he  found 
Gilbert  sleeping  as  sound  as  ever.  Hurrying  up, 
he  began  to  place  the  letter  in  the  young  lieutenant's 
coat. 

As  mentioned  before,  the  wind  was  rising.  Conse- 
quently, the  transport  was  not  riding  as  easily  as 
earlier  on  the  trip.    Just  as  Nuggy  placed  his  hand 


98  ON   TO   PEKUJ 

in  the  coat,  a  lurch  of  the  vessel  sent  him  with  a 
bump  into  one  of  the  uprights  supporting  Gilbert's 
cot,  and  then  landed  him  flat  on  his  back  in  the 
passageway. 

"  Oh ! "  cried  the  young  man,  and  scrambled  to  his 
feet  as  quickly  as  possible.  But  the  rolling  of  the 
ship  and  the  noise  made  by  Nuggy  awoke  Gilbert  on 
the  instant. 

"What's  the  matter?"  cried  the  young  lieutenant, 
and  sat  up,  staring  around  him.  Before  he  could  get 
to  his  feet,  Nuggy  Polk  was  making  off  down  the 
dim  passageway,  which  was  iUuminated  by  only  a 
few  incandescent  lights. 

"Phwat's  the  matter,  lieutenant?"  came  from  Dan 
Casey,  who  was  dozing  on  the  edge  of  his  cot,  not 
far  off. 

"That  man — what  was  he  doing  here?"  demanded 
Gilbert. 

"  Sure,  an'  I  dunno.  Stop  there ! "  cried  Casey. 
But  Nuggy  only  ran  the  faster,  and  in  a  few  seconds 
disappeared  from  view. 

"  I  believe  he  was  at  my  coat,"  went  on  Gilbert,  as 
he  picked  the  garment  from  the  floor.  Under  the 
coat  lay  the  documents  and  the  sealed  envelope. 


Nuggy  Polk  was  making  off  down 


THE    DIM    PASSAGEWAY. Page  98. 


ABOUT   AN  IMPORTANT   LETTER  99 

"  Well,  if  he  was  after  anything,  he  didn't  get  it,"  he 
added,  as  he  placed  the  things  in  the  pocket  and  put 
the  coat  under  his  pillow  again.  "  I  wonder  who  it 
was?" 

"  Sames  to  me  it  was  the  feller  that  was  talkin'  to 
Stummer  the  other  day,  —  that  sport  av  a  young 
man." 

"You  mean  Mr.  Polk?"  demanded  Gilbert. 

"I  don't  know  his  handle,  but  the  feller  as  was 
askin'  about  you." 

"  That  is  the  man  I  mean."  Gilbert's  brow  grew 
clouded.  "If  that  was  the  man,  he  was  up  to  no 
good." 

"  Is  he  down  on  you,  lieutenant  ?  " 

"  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  he  is,  although  I 
don't  care  to  talk  about  it." 

"  Do  ye  suppose  he  was  afther  stalin'  somethin'  ?  " 

"  I  can't  say  what  he  was  after,  Dan.  But  I  wish 
he  would  keep  his  distance  after  this." 

"  Perhaps  ye  had  better  be  afther  reportin'  him." 

"No,  I'll  keep  my  eyes  open;  and  I  reckon  that 
will  be  enough." 

Gilbert  sank  back  to  rest  again,  but  it  was  a  long 
while  before  he  fell  asleep.     He  wondered  if  Nuggy 


100  ON    TO   PEKIN 

Polk  had  been  after  the  letter.  "  If  he  was,  he  didn't 
get  it,"  he  told  himself ;  "  and  I'll  take  good  care  that 
he  doesn't  get  another  chance  at  it." 

When  Nuggy  Polk  reached  his  state-room,  he  was 
almost  out  of  breath  and  as  white  as  a  sheet.  Com- 
ing inside,  he  locked  the  door,  and  began  to  pull  oft 
his  clothing  with  all  possible  speed. 

"  What's  up  now  ?  "  questioned  Nickerson. 

"  The  roll  of  the  boat  upset  me,  and  I  woke  the 
lieutenant  up,"  was  the  low  answer.  "  I  don't  know 
but  that  they  are  after  me.  Keep  quiet ;  and,  if  they 
come  here,  we'll  pretend  we  are  asleep,  and  have  been 
for  over  an  hour." 

Nuggy  soon  had  his  shoes  and  clothing  off;  and, 
still  trembling  with  excitement,  he  crept  into  his 
bunk,  and  lay  there  in  silence,  listening  for  a  knock 
on  the  door.  But  the  minutes  went  by,  and  nobody 
came ;  and  at  last  he  breathed  easier. 

"  They  didn't  spot  me,  after  all,"  he  chuckled.  "  I 
reckon  I  was  too  quick  for  them." 

"Did  you  return  the  bogus  letter?"  asked  his 
companion. 

"Yes." 

"Then  you  are  safe  on  the  writing  question?" 


ABOUT  AN  IMPORTANT   LETTER  101 

"  Sure.  Pennington  won't  suspect  a  thing,  and  of 
course  Branders  won't  know  where  the  blank  sheet 
came  from.  The  first  move  in  this  game  is  entirely 
in  my  favor,"  concluded  Nuggy ;  and,  much  satisfied 
with  himself,  he  rolled  over,  and  was  soon  in  the  land 
of  dreams. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE   RELIEF   OP   ADMIRAL   SEYMOUR'S   PARTY 

The  transport  carrying  the  regiment  to  which  Gil- 
bert was  attached  arrived  at  Nagasaki  on  July  2. 
She  dropped  anchor  in  the  place  assigned  to  her  by 
the  harbor-master,  and  her  chief  officer  went  ashore 
at  once  for  despatches.. 

The  sights  to  be  seen  in  the  large  harbor  of  the 
Japanese  sea-port  interested  Gilbert  greatly.  Strange 
craft  were  floating  there, —  curiously  carved  junks 
with  their  huge,  awkward  sails,  broad  merchantmen, 
and  cascoes  filled  with  fruits  and  fish  and  other  com- 
modities, all  offered  for  sale  to  whoever  might  buy. 
Not  far  from  the  transport  lay  the  British  torpedo-boat 
destroyer  Whiting,  having  on  board  a  number  of 
veteran  soldiers  from  Ladysmith,  South  Africa,  men 
who  had  gone  all  through  the  terrible  campaign 
against  the  Boers.  Russian,  French,  German,  and 
Italian  warships  were  also  in  evidence ;  and  the  num- 
ber of  national  flags  floating  there  were  a  spectacle 
in  themselves, 

102 


RELIEF   OF  ADMIRAL  SEYMOUR'S   PARTY      103 

"  We  have  struck  the  Allies  at  last,"  was  Captain 
Banner's  comment.  "I  have  already  counted  ten 
different  flags,  not  to  mention  the  banners  belong- 
ing to  the  Japanese  shipping." 

"  Or  the  Banner  we  are  carrying,"  put  in  Major 
Morris,  by  way  of  a  joke. 

"Don't,  major!  That  pun  on  my  name  is  old 
enough  to  vote,"  answered  the  captain  of  Com- 
pany A. 

"  Then  it  is  time  it  was  buried,"  said  the  major, 
promptly.  "I'll  never  pun  on  your  name  again." 
And  he  never  did. 

All  the  soldiers  were  anxious  for  news  from 
shore ;  and  this  was  not  long  in  coming,  in  the  shape 
of  newspapers,  letters,  and  cablegrams. 

"  General  Chaffee  has  left  San  Francisco  with  the 
first  American  troops  for  China,  on  the  transport 
Grant"  said  one  of  the  captains,  spreading  the  news. 
"  He  is  coming  direct  to  Nagasaki ;  and  he  will  be 
followed  by  four  or  five  thousand  other  men,  from 
Cuba,  New  York,  and  elsewhere." 

The  Grant  carried  the  Sixth  United  States  Cav- 
alry, eight  hundred  strong,  and  about  three  hundred 
sailors  and  marines. 


104  ON   TO   PEKIN 

The  news  from  the  front  was  most  conflicting. 
Admiral  Seymour,  in  command  of  the  expedition 
which  had  gone  to  the  relief  of  Pekin,  was  rumored 
to  be  somewhere  beyond  Tien-Tsin,  and  surrounded 
by  the  enemy.  The  foreign  quarter  of  Tien-Tsin 
had  been  bombarded  by  the  Boxers  and  Chinese  gov- 
ernment troops  for  over  a  week  after  the  taking  of 
the  Taku  forts,  and  the  sufferings  of  the  Americans 
and  others  had  been  almost  beyond  belief.  During 
the  bombardment,  women  and  children  had  been  shut 
up  in  Gordon  Hall,  and  shot  and  shell  had  rained 
down  on  all  sides.  At  this  time  there  was  an  Amer- 
ican circus  in  the  city ;  and  the  men  of  the  show  took 
up  rifles,  buckled  on  cartridge  belts,  and  went  to  the 
walls  with  the  few  troops  in  the  place,  to  hold  the 
enemy  in  check. 

The  relief  of  Tien-Tsin  was  largely  due  to  the 
efforts  of  one  man  to  get  word  of  what  was  going  on 
to  the  allied  powers  having  warships  and  soldiers  in 
the  Gulf  of  Pechili.  When  the  bombardment  of  the 
foreign  quarter  of  the  city  was  at  its  height,  nine 
men  from  the  various  legations  took  a  boat  and 
started  for  Taku  for  help.  This  boat  was  attacked 
by  the  Chinese ;  and  those  in  it  had  to  run  the  craft 


BELIEF   OF   ADMIRAL   SEYMOUR'S   PARTY      105 

ashore  and  take  to  the  bushes  and  woods,  in  order  to 
escape  with  their  lives. 

In  Tien-Tsin  it  was  rumored  that  the  nine  men  had 
been  killed,  and  that  it  would  prove  certain  death  to 
anybody  undertaking  to  get  through  the  Chinese 
lines.  Yet  the  task  was  undertaken  by  James 
Watts,  a  youth  of  twenty-two,  the  son  of  a  Taku 
pilot. 

"I'll  get  through,  if  it  costs  me  everything  but 
my  life,"  said  young  Watts.  "I've  outwitted  the 
Chinks  before,  and  I  can  do  it  again."  He  left 
Tien-Tsin  at  nightfall  on  the  swiftest  horse  the  city 
possessed. 

The  ride  was  one  long  to  be  remembered;  for 
it  covered  a  distance  of  forty  to  forty-five  miles, 
through  a  territory  thick  with  Boxers  and  other  Chi- 
nese, all  anxious  to  take  his  life  at  sight.  He  left 
the  city  with  caution,  but,  once  on  the  outskirts,  rode 
with  a  dash  and  daring  that  overcame  many  of 
the  enemy  with  fright  and  surprise.  Shots  innumer- 
able were  fired  at  him ;  but  only  one  struck  him,  in 
the  arm.  He  was  stopped  six  times,  but  in  each  in- 
stance literally  rode  over  those  who  sought  to  capture 
him. 


106  ON   TO   PEKLN 

When  he  arrived  at  Taku,  he  was  ready  to  drop 
from  exhaustion.  But,  without  waiting  to  obtain 
even  necessary  refreshments,  he  secured  a  row-boat, 
and  had  some  sailors  take  him  out  to  the  flagship  of 
Admiral  Kempff  of  the  United  States  Navy,  to  whom 
he  told  his  story  in  detail. 

Our  admiral  was  quick  to  act  on  the  informa- 
tion received,  and  word  was  at  once  passed  to  the 
other  warships  and  to  the  allied  forces  in  and 
around  Taku  and  Tongku.  A  relief  force  was  im- 
mediately organized,  consisting  of  four  hundred  Rus- 
sian and  one  hundred  American  troops,  the  latter 
under  Major  Waller. 

The  march  of  the  relief  force  was  steady,  up  the 
bank  of  the  Pei-Ho,  but,  as  Tien-Tsin  was  neared,  the 
resistance  of  the  Chinese  became  stronger;  and  on 
the  second  day  out  it  looked  as  if  the  allied  forces 
would  be  surrounded  and  annihilated.  But  a  force 
of  one  thousand  British  troops  came  up  soon  after 
this,  and  after  a  hard  fight  the  relief  guard  entered 
the  foreign  quarter  of  Tien-Tsin. 

This  was  as  much  as  was  known  at  Nagasaki 
when  Gilbert  arrived  there;  but  other  movements 
of   great  importance  had   taken  place,  and  some  of 


RELIEF   OF   ADMIRAL  SEYMOUR'S  PARTY     107 

these  were  not  yet  finished.  Arriving  in  Tien- 
Tsin,  the  relief  column  discovered  that  Admiral 
Seymour's  command  had  only  gotten  to  within  forty 
miles  of  Pekin,  and  had  then  had  to  retreat.  Many 
of  the  number  would  have  been  cut  to  pieces,  had 
it  not  been  for  the  bravery  of  the  American  com- 
mander, Captain  McCalla,  and  his  fighting  marines 
from  the  Newark. 

As  soon  after  the  entrance  to  Tien-Tsin  had  been 
made  as  possible,  another  relief  force  went  out  from 
that  city  to  look  for  Admiral  Seymour,  this  command 
being  composed  of  some  of  the  troops  which  had  just 
entered  the  city  and  some  that  had  just  come  up 
from  Taku.  It  was  reported  that  the  Seymour  party 
was  intrenched  nine  miles  from  Tien-Tsin.  The  relief 
force  was  less  than  two  miles  from  Tien-Tsin,  when 
the  Boxers  hove  in  sight;  and  a  desperate  hand  to 
hand  encounter  ensued,  in  which  many  Russians  and 
Japanese,  as  well  as  some  Americans  and  English, 
were  killed.  The  Boxers  were  beaten,  and  fell  back 
up  the  river,  where  they  were  re-enforced  by  the 
Chinese  regulars,  and  another  battle  ensued.  But 
the  Allies  were  protected  by  the  high  railroad  em- 
bankment, and  soon  put  the  Chinese  troops  to  flight 


108  ON  TO  PEKIN 

by  the  accuracy  of  their  fire.  After  the  contest, 
hundreds  of  lifeless  Celestials  were  found  floating  in 
the  river. 

The  onward  march  of  the  relief  column  was  now 

toward  a  large  arsenal,  which,  it  was  rumored,  was 
filled  with  guns  and  ammunition.  On  sighting  the 
arsenal,  it  was  discovered  to  be  in  the  possession  of 
the  troops  under  Admiral  Seymour,  who  had  taken 
it  from  the  Chinese  some  days  before.  The  Celes- 
tials were  doing  their  best  to  retake  the  buildings, 
nine  in  number,  when  the  relief  column  came  up  with 
a  rush ;  and  the  upholders  of  the  Dragon  were  forced 
to  withdraw,  with  another  heavy  loss. 

The  new-comers  were  hailed  with  joy  by  those  in 
the  arsenal,  who  had  considered  their  position  well- 
nigh  hopeless,  they  having  been  continually  sur- 
rounded by  large  bodies  of  Chinese  troops  since  the 
start  from  Taku  two  weeks  before.  It  was  decided  to 
abandon  the  arsenal  at  once,  and  return  to  Tien-Tsin ; 
and  this  was  done,  the  building  being  set  on  fire. 
Later  on  the  Chinese  tried  to  put  out  the  fire,  and 
many  were  injured  by  the  explosions  of  powder  and 
dynamite  which  occurred. 

"  Do  you  know  anything  about  the  Chinese  army, 


BELIEF  OF  ADMIRAL  SEYMOUR'S  PARTT     109 

—  I  mean  how  it  is  composed?"  asked  Gilbert  of 
Captain  Banner,  as  they  continued  to  watch  the 
shipping  in  Nagasaki  Harbor. 

"  I  do,  because  that  is  another  play  on  my  name," 
replied  the  commander  of  Company  A.  "The 
Chinese  army  is  made  up  of  eight  divisions,  called 
the  Three  Superior  Banners  and  the  Five  Inferior 
Banners,  and  number  from  two  hundred  thousand  to 
three  hundred  thousand  men.  Each  Banner  has  ten 
army  corps;  and  these  are  divided  into  Lyanza,  of 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  men  each." 

"  Then  we  have  a  pretty  big  crowd  to  whip,"  was 
Gilbert's  comment. 

"  That  is  the  Chinese  army  on  paper.  In  reality, 
the  standing  army  is  much  smaller ;  for  each  viceroy 
of  a  province  keeps  as  many  troops  as  suits  him. 
The  army  is  made  up  of  the  very  scum  of  China,  and 
a  soldier  is  an  object  of  ridicule  to  the  ordinary  mer- 
chant or  artisan." 

"  I've  heard  that  many  Chinese  officers  go  to  war 
in  their  robes." 

"  They  do  more  than  that,"  put  in  an  officer  stand- 
ing near.  "  They  take  their  big  umbrellas  as  well, 
and  on  many  a  battlefield  the  head  officers  have  sat 


110  ON   TO   PEKIN 

in  the  rear  having  tea  served  to  them  while  the 
fighting  was  going  on.  You  see,  there  are  so  many 
of  the  pig-tails  that  the  slaughter  of  a  few  thousand 
of  them  now  and  then  doesn't  disturb  those  in 
authority  in  the  least." 

"  Sure,  an'  that's  not  encouragin'  fer  us,"  observed 
Dan  Casey,  who  stood  by,  drinking  in  the  conversa- 
tion with  much  interest. 

"  No ;  but  I'll  tell  you  one  thing,  and  that's  true," 
said  Captain  Banner.  "I  have  it  from  a  number  of 
officers  who  have  served  in  China.  The  majority  of 
the  Chinamen  rely  on  the  signs  they  wear  on  their 
breasts  to  protect  them  from  the  'foreign  devils.' 
When  they  see  their  comrades  shot  down,  regardless 
of  these  signs,  nine  out  of  ten  throw  down  their  guns 
and  take  to  their  heels." 

"  How  many  warships  do  you  suppose  are  in  these 
waters  now  ?  "  said  Gilbert. 

"  Probably  a  hundred  or  more.  I  understand  we 
have  about  fifteen,  Russia  the  same  number,  and 
England  almost  twice  as  many,  while  Germany  and 
France  have  a  dozen  or  more,  and  Japan  nearly  half 
a  hundred,"  answered  Major  Morris. 

"  And  how  many  soldiers  are  there  ?  " 


RELIEF   OF  ADMIRAL   SEYMOUR'S   PARTY      111 

"  There  is  no  telling.  We  have  probably  four  01 
five  thousand,  here  and  on  the  way ;  and  England  has 
twice  as  many.  The  majority  of  troops  are,  of 
course,  Russian  and  Japanese,  since  they  were  close 
at  hand  when  the  trouble  broke  out,"  concluded  the 
major  of  the  first  battalion. 


CHAPTER   XII 

A   STORM   AND   A   QUARREL 

"The  mail  is  going  ashore,  lieutenant.  So  hand 
over  your  letters,  if  you  have  any." 

It  was  the  adjutant's  assistant,  who  was  making 
the  round  of  the  transport,  previous  to  his  depart- 
ure for  the  Nagasaki  post-office.  He  already  had 
one  bag  full  of  letters,  and  was  now  picking  up  a 
second. 

"All  right.  I'll  have  a  letter  for  you  in  a  few 
minutes,"  responded  Gilbert.  "  I  just  want  to  make 
sure  that  I  put  everything  in  this  that  I  wanted." 

u  Writing  to  your  best  girl,  eh  ? "  laughed  the 
other  officer.     "  Well,  send  her  lots  of  kisses." 

"  I  haven't  got  that  far  yet,  Peters,"  responded  the 
young  lieutenant,  with  a  laugh  equally  hearty.  "  This 
is  a  strictly  business  letter." 

"Is  that  so?  Seems  to  me  we  are  pretty  far 
away  from  home  to  do  any  business  except  that  of 
fighting." 

112 


A   STORM  AND  A   QUARREL  113 

"That  is  true,  and  yet — "  Gilbert  broke  off 
short.  "Hullo!  What  in  the  world  does  this 
mean  ?  " 

He  had  torn  open  the  envelope  addressed  to  Ralph 
Branders,  and  was  now  staring  in  amazement  at  the 
blank  sheets  of  paper  it  had  contained. 

"Blank  sheets,  eh?  Well,  you  must  have  been 
asleep  when  you  put  them  into  the  envelope,"  was 
the  comment  of  the  adjutant's  assistant.  "Or  else 
somebody  has  been  putting  up  a  joke  on  you,"  he 
added. 

Gilbert  did  not  reply,  for  the  reason  that  he  was 
just  then  doing  some  rapid  thinking.  He  remembered 
how  he  had  been  aroused  by  Nuggy  Polk  and  how 
he  had  found  the  sealed  envelope  on  the  passageway 
floor. 

"  I  believe  he  tampered  with  that  letter,"  he  said 
to  himself.  "He  took  out  my  written  sheets,  and 
substituted  these  blanks.  •  He  is  shrewder  than  I 
thought  him  to  be." 

"  Well,  lieutenant,  what  are  you  going  to  do  about 
it  ?  "  asked  the  adjutant's  assistant.  "  I've  got  to  be 
going  inside  of  ten  minutes." 

"I'll  hunt   up  my  letter  —  if  I  can,"   burst   out 


114  ON  TO  PEON 

Gilbert;  and,  thrusting  the  empty  envelope  in  hia 
pocket,  he  hurried  off. 

He  was  thoroughly  angry,  and  bent  on  hunting  up 
Nuggy  Polk  and  having  it  out  with  the  young  man. 
He  had  seen  Nuggy  at  the  stern  of  the  transport, 
smoking,  and  had  no  doubt  that  he  would  still  find 
the  young  man  there. 

But,  half-way  on  his  rapid  walk  toward  the  stern, 
Gilbert  came  to  a  sudden  halt.  What  if  Polk  should 
deny  everything,  and  what  if  the  rascal  had  destroyed 
the  written  pages?  He  could  not  prove  the  young 
man  guilty,  and  such  an  action  would  only  let  Polk 
know  that  he  had  discovered  the  deception.  Would 
it  not  be  better  to  let  the  fellow  imagine  that  his  plan 
to  outwit  his  opponent  had  proved  successful  ? 

"  I'll  let  him  rest,  and  write  another  letter  in  secret 
—  and  take  good  care  that  that  goes,"  said  Gilbert  to 
himself.  "  And  in  the  second  letter  I'll  tell  Branders 
how  the  first  letter  was  stolen,  and  that  he  must  be 
on  his  guard  against  the  Polks  and  anybody  who 
represents  them." 

With  Gilbert  to  think  was  to  act,  in  this  case ;  and, 
without  losing  a  second  more,  he  rushed  off  to  one  of 
the  desks  in  the  ship's  library,  secured  several  sheets 


A  STORM  AND  A  QUARREL  115 

of  paper  and  a  pen,  and  dashed  off  a  second  letter  to 
Ralph  Branders  with  all  speed.  It  was  easy  work, 
for  he  remembered  exactly  what  he  had  said  in  the 
first  letter;  and  the  young  lieutenant  had  always 
been  a  rapid  penman.  He  added  to  the  epistle  his 
suspicions  concerning  Nuggy  Polk,  and  wound  up 
by  assuring  Branders  that  he  was  certain  there  was 
a  good  deal  of  money  coming  to  him,  if  only  the  truth 
of  the  matter  could  be  unearthed. 

The  letter  was  finished  not  a  second  too  soon ;  for 
Gilbert  had  barely  time  in  which  to  hand  it  to  the 
adjutant's  assistant  when  the  latter  was  off,  to  catch 
the  United  States  mail  from  Nagasaki. 

"  Made  quick  work  of  it,  I  see,"  remarked  Peters, 
as  he  stuffed  the  letter  into  one  of  his  bags. 

"  I  had  to,"  answered  Gilbert.  "  I  wouldn't  have 
missed  this  mail  for  a  good  deal." 

The  young  lieutenant  hurried  away,  not  wishing 
to  be  seen  by  Nuggy  Polk.  His  duties  soon  took 
him  to  the  stern ;  and  there  he  found  the  young  man, 
still  smoking,  in  company  with  Jerry  Nickerson. 

"  Ah  1  lieutenant,"  cried  Nuggy,  as  he  drew  closer. 
"  We  were  just  wondering  how  long  it  would  be  be- 
fore we  would  start  for  Taku.     Have  you  any  idea?  " 


116  ON   TO   PEE2N 

"The  commander  is  waiting  only  for  some  addi- 
tional despatches,"  answered  Gilbert,  coldly. 

"Then  we  are  to  leave  Nagasaki  as  soon  as  he 
gets  them  ?  " 

"  So  I  have  been  informed." 

"I  am  glad  of  it.  I  don't  like  this  hot  hole  at 
all,"  growled  Nickerson.  "It's  worse  than  Ma- 
nila." 

"  I  reckon  you'll  find  China  hotter  still,"  said  Gil- 
bert. 

"  I  hope  not." 

"  By  the  way,  we  made  a  curious  mistake  in  your 
name,"  went  on  Nuggy,  looking  straight  out  to  sea 
as  he  spoke.  "  We  thought  it  was  Lieutenant  Gil- 
bert, while  we've  learned  since  that  it  is  Lieutenant 
Gilbert  Pennington.     You'll  pardon  us,  I'm  sure." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Gilbert,  and  looked  pointedly  at 
Nuggy  and  then  at  Nickerson,  both  of  whom  avoided 
his  gaze.     "  It  doesn't  amount  to  anything,  anyway." 

"I'm  glad  you  look  at  in  that  light,  lieutenant. 
Some  people  are  awfully  particular  about  names,  you 
know,"  continued  Nuggy. 

He  wished  to  say  more, —  to  bring  around  the 
statement  that  he  had  known  the  Penningtons  years 


A   STORM  AND   A   QUARREL  117 

before,  in  Richmond ;  but  lie  could  not  see  his  way 
clear  without  making  an  awkward  break,  and  that  he 
wished  to  avoid.  Gilbert  passed  on,  and  there  the 
matter  rested  for  the  time  being. 

The  run  from  Nagasaki  to  Taku  is,  in  round 
figures,  eight  hundred  miles,  the  course  being  past 
Quelpart  Island,  up  the  Yellow  Sea,  and  around  the 
Shantung  Peninsula  into  the  Gulf  of  Pechili.  Part 
of  the  run  was  along  the  south-western  coast  of 
Korea ;  but,  in  the  haze  that  covered  the  sea,  nothing 
could  be  seen  of  that  territory. 

The  weather  continued  to  be  all  that  was  desired 
until  the  transport  gained  the  vicinity  of  the  Shantung 
Peninsula,  upon  which  the  British  port  of  Wei-Hai- 
Wei  is  situated,  when  a  violent  storm  came  up  late  in 
the  afternoon.  It  had  been  extremely  hot,  but  now 
the  temperature  went  down  as  if  by  magic. 

"  We  are  in  for  it,"  remarked  Major  Morris,  as  he 
watched  the  sky  grow  black.  "Just  listen  to  that 
wind  coming  up  !  " 

"I  am  glad  we  are  not  in  a  sailing  vessel,"  re- 
sponded Gilbert.  "It  looks  as  if  it  was  going  to  blow 
great  guns,  as  the  jackies  say." 

Gilbert  was  right ;  for,  soon  after  the  sun  was  hidden 


118  ON   TO  PEKIN 

behind  the  dense  clouds,  the  wind  came  up  with  a 
rush,  whistling  through  the  windows  and  ports  of  the 
ship  and  banging  many  an  unlatched  door.  Some  of 
the  soldiers  were  not  looking  for  such  a  gust ;  and 
one  lost  his  hat  overboard,  and  another  a  precious 
bundle  of  newspapers  obtained  in  Nagasaki  at  the 
cost  of  three  Mexican  dollars. 

"  We  are  up  against  it  fer  kapes ! "  cried  Dan 
Casey,  as  he  vainly  tried  to  keep  his  feet.  "  Sure,  an' 
I'm  goin'  below  to  kape  from  fallin'  all  over  meself ! " 
And  he  lost  no  time  in  literally  sliding  out  of  sight, 
for  to  keep  erect  on  the  companionway  was  im- 
possible. 

Some  of  the  soldiers  were  at  mess  when  the  storm 
came  up ;  and,  as  pea  soup  happened  to  be  on  the  bill 
of  fare,  my  readers  can  imagine  how  the  contents  of 
the  tin  soup  plates  were  slopped  around,  much  to  the 
ire  of  the  owners  of  the  soup  and  the  anger  of  those 
who  happened  to  get  the  boiling  hot  liquid  over 
them. 

Nuggy  Polk  and  Jerry  Nickerson  had  just  finished 
their  repast  when  the  first  heavy  blow  struck  the 
transport,  sending  the  craft  almost  on  her  beams'  end. 
Both  had  eaten  heartily  of  a  great  variety  of  food,  for 


A  STOEM  AND  A  QUARREL  119 

they  had  had  the  quartermaster  lay  in  an  extra  supply 
for  them  at  Nagasaki, 

"Gracious!  what's  struck  us?"  cried  Jerry,  in 
alarm. 

"  Feels  to  me  as  if  we  were  going  to  upset,"  replied 
Nuggy,  his  face  growing  pale.  "  Just  listen  to  the 
wind  whistle ! " 

"I  hope  we  don't  go  to  the  bottom,"  went  on 
Nickerson. 

He  did  not  like  the  ocean,  and  had  come  along  on 
the  trip  only  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  Nuggy, 
who  hated  to  travel  alone.  He  was  no  sailor,  but  so 
far  the  mildness  of  the  weather  had  kept  him  from 
becoming  seasick. 

Both  of  the  young  men  felt  that  they  must  go  on 
deck,  and  started  for  the  companionway  side  by  side. 

They  had  just  reached  the  foot  of  the  steps,  when 
a  dark  object  loomed  up  before  them.  It  was  a 
soldier,  who  was  actually  rolling  down  the  companion- 
way.  The  man  plumped  with  such  force  into  Jerry 
Nickerson  that  the  latter  was  sent  sprawling. 

"Hi!  what  do  you  mean  by  knocking  me  down?' 
spluttered  Nickerson,  as  soon  as  he  could  get  wind 
enough  to  speak. 


120  ON   TO  PEKIN 

"Vot's  der  matter  mit  you?"  was  the  return. 
"  Vy  didn't  you  git  out  of  der  vay,  ven  you  see  me 
coming,  hey  ?  "  The  speaker  was  Carl  Stummer,  and 
he  was  in  no  humor  for  wasting  words. 

"  You  Dutch  idiot !  "  roared  Nickerson.  "  You 
bumped  into  me  on  purpose !  " 

"  That's  what  he  did,"  put  in  Nuggy,  who  had  not 
liked  Carl  since  the  day  they  had  had  the  talk  con- 
cerning Gilbert.  "  Jerry,  you  ought  to  teach  him  a 
lesson  for  that." 

"I  will,"  answered  Jerry;  and,  as  the  German 
soldier  arose  to  his  feet,  Nickerson  strode  forward, 
and  gave  him  a  blow  in  the  chest  which  knocked 
him  up  against  a  near-by  railing.  "  That  will  teach 
you  to  behave  yourself  in  the  future." 

In  his  school-days  Nickerson  had  been  a  good  deal 
of  a  bully,  and  this  at  times  cropped  out,  upon 
the  slightest  provocation.  As  Carl  staggered  back, 
Nuggy  gave  a  low  laugh. 

"Good  for  you,  Jerry!  He  deserved  it,"  he 
said. 

Carl's  face  grew  as  red  as  a  beet;  and  his  eyes  — 
those  eyes  which  were  sky-blue,  and  generally  as 
mild  as  those  of  a  lamb  —  flashed  fire. 


A   STOEM   AND   A    QUARREL  121 

"So  I  vos  von  Dutch,  idiot,  hey?"  he  demanded 
angrily.  "And  you  vos  teach  me  von  lesson,  not 
so  ?  Meppe  I  vos  teach  dot  lesson,  hey  ?  How  you 
like  dot,  hey?  unddot?" 

He  hauled  off  suddenly;  and  two  blows  straight 
from  the  shoulder  made  Jerry  see  stars,  and  sent 
him  staggering  into  Nuggy.  A  third  blow  followed, 
which  loosened  one  of  Nickerson's  front  teeth,  and 
made  him  drop  upon  a  near-by  settee,  dazed  and  be- 
wildered. 

"Haf  you  got  enough?"  demanded  Carl,  as  he 
followed  his  opponent  with  fists  clenched  for  an- 
other blow. 

"  Don't !     Don't  I "  cried  Mckerson. 

"  Hi !  let  my  friend  alone  ! "  came  from  Nuggy,  in 
alarm.  He  was  afraid  Nickerson  would  be  killed. 
"  Let  him  alone,  I  say,  you  clown  I " 

"  Ton't  call  me  a  Mown  ! "  roared  Carl.  "  Of  you 
do,  I'll  gif  you  a  lickin',  too  I  "  And  he  squared  off 
at  Nuggy  in  a  manner  which  caused  that  unworthy 
one  to  fall  back  in  dismay. 

By  this  time  the  attention  of  a  number  of  soldiers 
who  were  near  was  attracted,  and  they  gathered 
around.     "  A  fight,  boys  I "  cried  one,     "  The  Dutch- 


122  ON   TO  PEKIN 

man  is  going  to  polish  off  one  of  the  newspapei 
men!" 

"  Go  for  him,  Carl,  and  show  him  how  we  licked 
the  Tagals ! " 

"  Make  them  fight  one  at  a  time,  Dutchy !  Two 
to  one  isn't  fair." 

"  Form  a  ring,  boys,  and  let  'em  have  it  out  to  a 
finish." 

So  the  talk  ran  on,  and  soon  the  crowd  grew 
larger.  Then  Jerry  Nickerson  tried  to  hit  Carl 
again.  The  German  dodged,  struck  out  swiftly  and 
surely,  and  in  an  instant  Nickerson  measured  his 
length  on  the  deck,  and  lay  there  like  a  log. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE   LANDING   AT   TONGKU 

"  Stummer  has  knocked  his  man  out !  My,  but 
that  was  a  dandy  blow !  " 

"The  Dutchman  ought  to  go  into  the  prize  ring. 
He  would  make  his  fortune  at  it." 

"  He  has  finished  his  first  man.  Now  let  the  sec- 
ond come  on,  if  he  dares." 

So  the  cries  continued ;  for  there  is  nothing  that 
so  delights  the  heart  of  a  sailor  or  a  soldier  as 
a  "scrap,"  either  on  land  or  at  sea.  Among  sail- 
ors especially,  boxing  is  a  constant  pastime;  and 
the  "  best  man  "  is  always  considered  something  of  a 
leader. 

The  crowd  looked  to  Nuggy  Polk  to  continue  the 
fight ;  but  that  young  man  had  no  desire  to  do  so,  for 
he  could  plainly  see  that  his  chum  had  suffered 
heavy  punishment. 

"  You  have  killed  him ! "  he  said  in  a  shaking 
voice.     "  Somebody  run  for  a  doctor." 

123 


124  ON  TO  PEKIN 

"  Oh,  he'll  come  around  all  right,"  put  in  one  of 
the  sailors.  "  Carl  rapped  him  a  bit  hard,  that's  all. 
So  you  ain't  up  against  it,  are  you?"  he  added 
dryly. 

"  He's  afraid,"  came  from  a  voice  in  the  rear  of 
the  crowd.  "  He's  one  of  the  sports  that  fights  with 
his  mouth  only." 

At  this  instant  the  crowd  was  compelled  to  part, 
as  the  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  regiment  pushed  his 
way  to  the  front.  His  quick  eye  turned  from  Nick- 
erson  to  Carl,  and  he  faced  the  German  soldier 
sternly. 

"  What's  the  meaning  of  this  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"  He  called  me  a  Dutch  idiot,  und  he  vos  hit  me 
here,"  answered  Carl,  as  he  saluted,  and  then  pointed 
to  his  breast. 

"It's  not  so,"  interposed  Nuggy.  "He  started  a 
quarrel,  and  he  has  nearly  killed  my  friend." 

"  He  vos  hit  me  first,"  insisted  Carl. 

"  It's  false.  He  knocked  Mr.  Nickerson  down  be- 
fore he  said  a  word." 

"  I  vos  slip  on  der  steps,  und  I  rolled  into  him," 
explained  Carl.  "  Den  he  calls  me  names,  und  hits 
me  so  hard  as  he  can.     Of  he  vos  act  like  a  chentle- 


THE   LANDING   AT    TONGKU  125 

mans,  I  vos  abologise  for  rollin'  into  him.  But  he 
calls  me  an  idiot  und  a  klown,  und  I  vos  no  stand 
dot  from  anypody."  And  the  German  soldier  shook 
his  head  determinedly. 

"  That's  the  truth  of  it,"  came  from  a  corporal 
standing  near.  "I  saw  and  overheard  the  whole 
transaction,  colonel." 

By  this  time  Jerry  was  coming  to  his  senses.  He 
blinked  his  eyes,  and,  sitting  up,  stared  around  him. 

"  Keep  off ! "  he  muttered.  "  Don't  hit  me 
again ! " 

"  You're  all  right  now,"  said  the  lieutenant-colonel. 
"  I  am  sorry  to  see  you  having  a  row  with  one  of  our 
men,  though." 

"  He  started  the  row,"  answered  Mckerson, 
bound   to  save   himself    from    trouble,    if    possible. 

"It  isn't  so,"  came  from  several  in  the  crowd. 
"He  struck  the  first  blow,  just  as  Stummer  says." 

"  But  he  knocked  me  down  first,  and  he  did  it  on 
purpose." 

"  Dot  ain't  so.  I  vos  coming  der  stairs  town,  ven 
I  slip,  because  der  poat  vos  so  unsteady,"  explained 
Carl;  and  then  he  went  into  the  details  of  the  en- 
counter from  start  to   finish.     Several   times    Jerry 


126  ON   TO   PEKIN 

Nickerson  tried  to  interrupt  him,  but  the  lieutenant" 
colonel  would  not  allow  it.  Carl's  story  was  cor- 
roborated by  several  others  besides  the  corporal  who 
had  first  spoken  up. 

"  It  seems  you  are  to  blame,"  said  the  lieutenant- 
colonel,  after  listening  to  Nickerson's  lame  recital. 
"In  the  future  I  think  you  had  better  leave  our 
soldiers  alone.  And  now  I  want  this  crowd  to  dis- 
perse," he  concluded,  with  a  wave  of  his  hand. 

The  soldiers  sauntered  off,  alone  and  in  pairs ;  and 
Carl  went  with  them.  Nickerson  said  nothing  more, 
but  his  black  looks  bode  the  German  regular  no 
good. 

"He'll  down  ye  if  he  can,"  said  Dan  Casey  to 
Carl,  on  hearing  of  the  affair.  "  Ye  want  to  be  afther 
watchin'  him  as  a  hen  turkey  watches  a  hawk." 

"I  vos  keep  mine  eye  skvare  on  him,"  answered 
Carl. 

But  this  was  hardly  necessary,  at  least  for  the 
next  few  days ;  for,  as  the  storm  increased,  both  Nick- 
erson and  Nuggy  Polk  became  violently  seasick,  and 
had  to  keep  to  their  state-room,  both  moaning  and 
groaning  in  a  fashion  that  was  truly  pitiable. 
Nickerson  laid  his  sickness  to  the  violent  handling 


THE   LANDING  AT   TONGKU  127 

received  from  Stummer,  but  Nuggy  tad  no  such 
excuse. 

The  sight  that  greeted  our  soldiers  when  the  trans- 
port dropped  anchor  off  Taku  was  truly  an  inspiring 
one.  At  Nagasaki  they  had  seen  many  vessels  of 
various  nationalities ;  but  never  before  had  they  wit- 
nessed such  a  collection  of  noble-looking  warships, 
each  cleared  for  action  and  each  flying  the  flag  of  the 
nation  to  which  it  belonged  as  well  as  its  own  naval 
ensign.  Here  were  armored  cruisers,  battleships, 
ironclads,  torpedo  boats,  and  despatch  steamers  in- 
numerable ;  while  still  closer  to  the  various  landings 
lay  transports,  coal,  and  supply  vessels,  all  busy  load- 
ing or  unloading,  and  many  teeming  with  soldiers. 

"What  a  collection!"  said  Gilbert,  as  he  and 
Captain  Banner  surveyed  the  scene  through  a  field- 
glass.  "Just  look  at  those  Japanese  soldiers.  I 
don't  believe  one  of  them  is  over  five  feet  six  inches 
in  height." 

"  No,  but  I  understand  they  make  good  fighters," 
answered  the  captain.  "  The  Frenchmen,  unloading 
next  to  them,  are  not  much  larger." 

"  There  are  some  soldiers  we  have  never  seen  be- 
fore," put  in  Major  Morris,  who  was  also  at  the  rail. 


128  ON    TO   PEKIN 

"They  are  Sikhs  from  India,  and  belong  to  the 
British  contingent.  How  strong  and  sturdy  they 
look!" 

"  There  go  a  lot  of  camels,"  went  on  Gilbert.  "  I 
suppose  the  East  Indians  use  those  instead  of 
horses." 

"  Yes ;  and  the  Russians  use  them,  too,"  answered 
the  major.  "Yonder,  back  of  the  dock,  is  a  long 
string  of  oxen  with  carts.  I  guess  anything  goes 
here,  in  the  way  of  transportation.  The  main  thing 
is  to  get  there,  and  as  soon  as  possible." 

The  transport  was  heading  slowly  for  land,  and,  as 
the  ship  drew  closer,  those  on  board  could  make  out 
the  outer  forts  of  Taku, —  those  forts  which  had  been 
captured  at  the  beginning  of  the  trouble  with  China. 
Gilbert  had  expected  to  see  modern  enclosures  of 
heavy  stone.  He  was  much  disappointed  to  behold 
nothing  but  long,  low-lying  banks  of  earth,  with  here 
and  there  an  opening,  the  banks  lying  on  either  side 
of  the  sluggish  Pei-Ho,  which  looked  as  muddy  and 
uninviting  as  any  stream  he  had  ever  seen.  On  all 
the  sun  blazed  down  with  the  fury  of  a  fiery  furnace. 

Suddenly  Gilbert  felt  his  arm  grasped  by  Captain 
Banner.     "  No  picnic  this,  lieutenant,"  came  in  a  low 


THE  LANDING   AT   TONGKU  129 

voice.  "We're  going  to  be  thrown  in  among  all  sorts; 
and  we've  got  to  take  what  comes,  and  say  nothing." 

"What  gets  me  is,  how  is  an  international  army 
to  be  commanded,  when  we  can't  understand  some 
of  the  foreigners'  talk  and  they  can't  understand 
ours?" 

"  That's  a  problem  for  our  superiors  to  solve.  At 
the  start,  I  guess  each  nationality  will  have  to  move 
on  its  own  hook.  We  are  here  to  rescue  the  Ameri- 
cans who  are  in  danger  in  Pekin  and  elsewhere,  and 
that  is  what  we  must  fight  for  until  further  orders 
from  headquarters." 

It  was  not  until  early  the  next  morning  that  Gil- 
bert's company  went  ashore,  at  Tongku,  the  majority 
of  the  regiment  landing  at  Taku.  Some  supplies 
were  arriving  from  Shanghai ;  and  part  of  these  were 
placed  in  care  of  Captain  Banner's  command,  while 
the  rest  went  on  board  of  the  Monocacy,  then  lying 
at  the  Tongku  dock. 

"  She's  an  old  boat,"  said  Captain  Banner,  refer- 
ring to  the  Monocacy.  "  Her  guns  date  back  to  1865, 
and  I  understand  that  she  has  been  laid  up  in 
Chinese  waters  for  over  fifteen  years.  Dewey 
wouldn't  take  her  to  Manila  when  he  sailed  to  wipe 


130  ON  TO  PEKIN 

out  the  Spanish  fleet.  But  one  of  her  men  told 
me  that  she  makes  a  first-class  hospital  and  relief 
ship." 

There  was  not  much  to  do,  excepting  to  watch 
where  the  supplies  were  placed  and  to  keep  tab  on 
them,  so  that  some  Italian  soldiers  in  the  vicinity 
would  not  walk  away  with  the  things ;  and  Gilbert 
took  it  easy  under  a  big  shed  built  of  logs  and  split 
bamboo.  Presently,  much  to  his  astonishment,  a 
Chinaman  appeared,  wearing  the  uniform  of  a  Brit- 
ish soldier. 

"  Please  you  slay  where  him  Cap'n  "Wilbur  land," 
said  the  Chinaman,  after  saluting  in  true  military 
fashion. 

"What's  that?  "  asked  Gilbert,  who  found  it  hard 
to  understand  the  Celestial. 

"Me  lookee  for  him,  Cap'n  Wilbur, — Englees 
officer.     You  know  where  him  land  ?  " 

"The  English  are  landing  something  down  the 
stream  a  bit     You  may  find  him  there." 

"  Thlankee,  lieutenant."  And  the  Chinaman  saluted 
again. 

"  Hold  on ! "  cried  Gilbert,  curiously.  "Are  you  a 
British  soldier?" 


THE  LANDING   AT   TONGKU  131 

"Yees,  lieutenant.  Me  'list  at  Wei-Hai-Wei. 
Many  Chinamen  'list  lare.     Me  Chlistian  solyer." 

"And  you  are  ready  to  fight  your  own  country- 
men?" 

"Certee,  lieutenant.  Da  no  Chlistians  —  me 
Chlistian  —  me  fight  alle  samee,  rescue  Chlistians  at 
legations  in  Pekin."  And  with  a  merry  nod  the  China- 
man bobbed  away.  Gilbert  could  not  help  but  gaze 
at  him  in  wonder. 

"  I  don't  believe  he'll  fight  his  own  people,  Chris- 
tian or  no  Christian,"  he  mused.  But  for  once  the 
young  lieutenant  was  mistaken.  When  it  came  to 
the  test,  the  Chinese  troops  marching  under  the 
Union  Jack  fought  as  well  as  any  Celestials  in  the 
war. 

When  leaving  the  transport,  Gilbert  had  lost  sight 
of  Nuggy  Polk  and  Jerry  Nickerson ;  and  he  felt  that 
it  might  be  many  a  day  before  he  would  again  en- 
counter the  pair. 

"  Perhaps  we  shall  never  meet  again,"  he  thought. 
"  I've  got  a  hard  campaign  before  me ;  and  who  knows 
but  that  I  may  lay  down  my  life  in  the  struggle? 
Somebody  is  bound  to  die,  and  this  trip  it  may  be  my 
turn." 


132  ON    TO   PEKIN 

From  the  soldiers  who  were  coming  and  going  GiL 
bert  learned  that  righting  in  and  around  Tien-Tsin 
was  of  daily  occurrence.  "  The  Chinks  are  not  beaten 
yet,"  said  one  old  marine.  "  We  hold  Taku,  Tongku, 
a  part  of  Tien-Tsin,  and  about  fifteen  miles  of  this 
Tongku-Pekin  railway ;  and  that  is  all  we  do  hold." 
"  Is  the  railroad  to  Pekin  in  order  still  ?  " 
"Bless  you!  no,  lieutenant.  The  Boxers  tore  up 
the  rails  long  ago,  and  threw  them  into  the  river. 
And,  worse  than  that,  I've  been  told  that  they  have 
cut  up  the  roads,  too,  so  that,  if  we  march  on  Pekin, 
we'll  do  lots  of  travelling  through  ditches  filled  with 
water  and  mud." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

A  FIRST  BATTLE   ON   CHINESE   SOIL 

The  distance  from  the  Gulf  of  Pechili  to  Tien-Tsin 
by  the  Pei-Ho  is  all  of  seventy  miles ;  for  the  river, 
broad  and  very  shallow  except  during  the  annual 
high  tides,  winds  its  way  along  in  serpent  fashion 
through  marshland  and  reeds,  with  here  and  there 
an  embankment  thrown  up  to  resist  the  encroach- 
ments of  the  sea.  Fortunately,  the  bottom  of  the 
river  is  nothing  more  dangerous  than  slimy  mud,  so 
that  steamers  getting  stuck  suffer  little  or  nothing 
save  the  time  and  expense  of  getting  afloat  again. 

The  native  city  and  the  foreign  concessions  lie  on 
the  southern  bank  of  the  Pei-Ho ;  while  opposite  are 
the  railroad  station,  docks,  and,  just  east  of  these, 
the  arsenal.  The  distance  from  here  to  Tongku  by 
railroad,  a  direct  line,  is  but  twenty-seven  miles,  with 
but  one  station  of  importance  between,  Chung-Liang- 
Cheng.  To  the  west  of  the  native  quarter  is  the 
Grand   Canal,  on   the   opposite  bank  of  which  are 

133 


134  ON  TO  PBKIN 

located  the  cathedral  and  the  private  grounds  and 
palace  of  the  viceroy  of  Shantung,  Earl  Li  Hung 
Chang. 

The  native  city  of  Tien-Tsin  is  surrounded  by 
a  high  stone  wall ;  and  there  is  another  wall  still 
further  out,  around  all  of  the  settlements.  The  latter 
was  erected  during  the  war  of  1860,  when  China  was 
fighting  the  French  and  English.  The  wall  would 
have  made  an  excellent  defence;  but  it  was  never 
manned,  the  Chinese  soldiers  contenting  themselves 
with  shooting  off  a  vast  amount  of  fire-crackers, 
in  order  to  scare  the  enemy,  and  then  running  for 
their  lives. 

Tien-Tsin,  new  and  old,  covers  a  good  many  miles 
of  territory ;  for,  while  the  houses  and  huts  of  brick, 
mud,  wood,  and  bamboo  are  often  huddled  close  to- 
gether, yet  there  are  numerous  wide  market-places 
and  low  spots  often  covered  with  water  during  a 
heavy  rain.  The  streets  are  narrow,  crooked,  and 
dirty  to  the  last  degree.  Paving,  as  we  know  it,  is 
unknown,  and  so  are  sewers;  and  the  consequence 
is  that  each  street,  or  rather  lane,  soon  becomes 
something  of  an  open  ditch,  breeding  disease  and 
death. 


A   FIEST   BATTLE    ON   CHINESE    SOIL  135 

What  struck  Gilbert  as  peculiar  on  his  first  trip 
beyond  Tongku  were  the  numerous  mounds  which 
greeted  his  eyes,  rearing  their  heads  like  so  many  ant- 
hills  at  every  turn.  He  soon  learned,  however,  that 
these  were  the  well-known  graves  of  China,  scattered 
broadcast.  In  some  cases  these  graves  are  deeply 
dug;  but  in  others  the  dead  are  placed  along  the 
roadside,  and  covered  only  with  a  handful  of  earth  or 
a  bit  of  coarse  matting. 

The  young  lieutenant's  duties  at  Tongku  kept  him 
close  to  the  river  front ;  and  from  time  to  time  he  saw 
floating  on  the  stream  the  lifeless  bodies  of  Chinese 
soldiers  and  Boxers,  the  latter  easily  to  be  identified 
by  the  curious  symbols  on  their  breasts,  painted  on 
their  garments  as  a  guard  against  all  evils  I  Once  he 
saw  three  Celestials  floating  together,  each  in  the 
death-grip  of  the  others;  and  the  sight  made  him 
shudder  more  than  anything  he  had  witnessed  in  the 
Philippines. 

"  Poor  fellows !  it's  a  good  deal  of  a  pity  to  fight 
them,"  he  murmured.  "They  really  don't  know 
what  they  are  doing.  I  suppose,  in  their  way,  they 
imagine  they  are  quite  in  the  right."  Then  he  drew 
a  long  breath,  and  the  soldier  spirit  came  back  to  him. 


136  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"  But  they  have  got  to  leave  the  missionaries  and  om 
representatives  alone,  and  that  is  all  there  is  to  it." 

The  Brooklyn  and  the  Oregon,  the  two  warships 
which  had  given  such  good  accounts  of  themselves  at 
the  battle  of  Santiago  Harbor,  had  not  yet  arrived  at 
Taku,  but  were  expected  at  any  hour.  The  Oregon 
had  met  with  a  slight  mishap,  and  was  in  conse- 
quence undergoing  some  temporary  repairs.  Gen- 
eral Chaffee  was  also  expected  very  soon,  with  his 
troops  from  San  Francisco. 

It  was  on  Independence  Day  that  Gilbert  found 
himself  on  the  firing  line  for  the  first  time.  The 
Allies  were  trying  to  keep  open  the  line  of  communi- 
cation along  the  railroad  to  Tien-Tsm;  but  twelve 
miles  from  Tongku  the  rails  were  completely  gone, 
the  road-bed  crossed  by  newly-made  ditches,  and  the 
Boxers  were  on  the  constant  lookout,  hoping  to  entrap 
any  "  foreign  devils "  who  might  show  themselves. 
In  the  mean  time  Tien-Tsin  was  being  furiously 
bombarded  by  Boxers  and  Shantung  government 
troops  combined,  who  had  brought  to  the  scene  a 
number  of  powerful  Krupp  siege  guns. 

"  Lieutenant,  we  are  ordered  out  up  the  railroad," 
said  Captain  Banner  early  on  the  morning   of  the 


A   FIRST   BATTLE    ON   CHINESE    SOIL  137 

"Fourth  of  July.  "  The  whole  battalion  is  going,  and 
Major  Morris  agrees  with  me  that  we  are  likely  to 
celebrate  the  day  by  firing  a  good  many  shots." 

"  All  right,  captain.  I  am  ready  any  time  the  major 
sets,"  answered  Gilbert,  with  a  grim  smile.  "  I  came 
to  China  to  fight;  and  I  believe  fighting  is  a  good 
bit  like  swimming, —  the  sooner  you  get  into  trim  for 
it  and  plunge  in,  the  better  off  you  are.  It  won't  do 
for  a  swimmer  to  stand  on  the  bank  and  shiver,  as  he 
looks  at  the  cold  water ;  and  it  won't  do  for  a  soldier 
to  get  the  '  yellow  shakes,'  as  our  Western  boys  term 
it,  listening  to  the  guns  from  a  distance." 

At  this  homely  view  of  things,  Captain  Banner 
laughed.  "  I  don't  believe  you  will  get  the  shakes," 
he  said.  "You  have  been  through  the  mill  too 
often." 

"  But  I  may  get  them,  nevertheless.  I  have  heard 
tell  that  the  best  of  officers  get  shaky  at  times. 
There  is  no  such  thing  as  utter  nervelessness,  if 
you'll  allow  me  to  coin  the  word." 

Orders  were  soon  going  the  rounds ;  and,  after  a 
hasty  breakfast,  blanket  rolls  were  packed,  guns  in- 
spected, and  additional  ammunition  passed  around. 
In  an  hour  more  the  battalion  was  on  the  march, 


138  ON   TO   PEKEK 

those  left  behind  ■wishing  the  members  of  the  four 
companies  the  best  of  luck. 

"  Don't  stop  until  you  have  gone  straight  through 
to  Pekin ! "  cried  one  of  the  men  left  behind.  "  Show 
the  foreigners  what  Yankee  blood  and  pluck  can 
do  1 "  And  a  cheer  went  up,  which  lasted  until  the 
battalion  had  left  Tongku  behind. 

The  weather  was  warm  and  muggy ;  and,  had  some 
of  the  soldiers  had  their  way,  blanket  rolls  would 
have  been  pitched  aside,  to  be  picked  up  by  the  cart 
train  following.  But  this  was  not  allowed,  for  there 
was  no  telling  where  the  battalion  would  rest  during 
the  coming  night  or  if  the  train  would  get  through 
in  safety. 

"  I  have  often  wondered  if  the  folks  at  home  fully 
realize  the  life  a  soldier  leads,"  remarked  Captain 
Banner,  as  he  walked  along  near  Gilbert.  "They 
hear  of  victories  or  defeats,  and  read  the  death  lists 
and  all  that ;  but  do  they  realize  the  knocking  around 
a  soldier  does, —  how  he  has  to  tramp  miles  and  miles, 
be  it  hot  or  cold,  dry  or  wet,  with  a  heavy  gun  and 
a  heavier  load,  eating  when  he  can  and  whatever  he 
manages  to  get,  and  sleeping  very  often  in  the  open 
air  and  occasionally  in  a  soaking  rain  ?  " 


A   FIEST   BATTLE    ON    CHINESE   SOIL  139 

"I  don't  believe  folks  do  realize  it,"  answered 
Gilbert.  "  If  they  did,  so  many  of  them  wouldn't  be 
for  talking  of  the  glories  of  a  soldier's  life  and  the 
pride  of  conquest.  Of  course  there  is  lots  of  ex- 
citement, when  a  real  campaign  is  on ;  but  such  waits 
as  we  had  in  the  Philippines,  especially  during  the 
wet  seasons,  are  awful." 

"Everything  depends  upon  what  you  get  used  to," 
put  in  Major  Morris,  who  was  near.  "  Now  look  at 
Captain  Cannon,  for  example.  He  has  been  in  both 
the  army  and  the  navy,  and  he  virtually  knows 
nothing  else.  He  would  rather  fight  than  eat,  and 
nothing  would  suit  him  better  than  for  the  United 
States  to  start  out  on  a  world-conquering  tour.  He 
told  me  yesterday  that  he  hoped  we  should  keep  on 
fighting  in  China  for  at  least  a  year." 

"  A  year !  "  cried  Gilbert.  "  Well,  I  don't  agree 
with  him.  I  trust  we  have  only  one  or  two  good 
battles,  and  that  the  Chinese  then  come  to  terms.  I 
am  afraid  it  would  make  me  sick  to  fight  the  pig-tails 
for  a  whole  year.  I  was  heartily  tired  of  fighting 
the  Filipinos  when  I  left  Manila." 

By  noon  the  battalion  had  gone  along  the  railroad 
line  for  a  considerable  distance,  and  from  ahead  came 


140  ON   TO   PEKIN 

the  booming  of  a  cannon  in  the  direction  of  Chung- 
Liang-Cheng.  There  was  a  wide  paddy  field  to 
cross;  and  beyond  was  a  small  wood,  flanked  on  the 
right  by  a  mud  embankment  and  a  ditch. 

"Some  Russian  troops  ahead,"  announced  Major 
Morris,  after  surveying  the  situation  with  his  field- 
glasses.  He  turned  to  Gilbert.  "Lieutenant  Pen- 
nington, take  two  men  with  you  over  to  yonder  em- 
bankment, and  find  out  what  is  going  on." 

"  I  will  do  so,  Major  Morris,"  answered  the  young 
lieutenant,  and  saluted.  The  major  next  issued  a 
command  for  the  battalion  to  halt,  and  the  four 
companies  came  to  a  rest  at  the  edge  of  the  rice 
field. 

Gilbert  knew  that  he  could  trust  no  men  more 
than  Stummer  and  Casey,  and  soon  had  them  at  his 
side.  The  trio  hurried  across  the  field,  but  with 
caution,  and  soon  entered  the  wood  previously  men- 
tioned. From  a  distance  the  cracking  of  rifles  con- 
tinued, but  the  sounds  showed  that  both  the  enemy 
and  the  Russians  were  shifting  their  positions. 

"We'll  be  nixt  to  it  very  soon  now,"  muttered 
Dan  Casey,  as  he  clutched  his  gun  in  such  a  manner 
that  he  might  use  it  at  the  slightest  warning.     "  It 


A  FIRST  BATTLE   ON   CHINESE   SOIL  141 

sames  to  me  I'm  afther  hearing  thim  Chinks  yell 
already." 

"  I  dink  dem  vos  Roossins  you  vos  hear,"  answered 
Stummer.  "Da  vos  firin'  by —  Here  da  come 
now!" 

There  was  a  rushing  of  many  feet  and  a  yelling  in 
a  tongue  that  was  foreign  to  Gilbert,  and  the  next 
instant  a  body  of  Cossacks  burst  into  view.  Whether 
they  were  making  a  flank  movement  or  retreating, 
the  young  lieutenant  could  not  tell.  As  they  swept 
along,  a  captain  of  the  command  saw  the  three,  and 
ran  toward  them. 

"Who  are  you?  Where  come  you  from?"  he 
asked  in  the  Russian  tongue,  and  then,  noting  the 
uniforms,  added,  "  Americans  ?  " 

"Yes,"  answered  Gilbert.  "Do  you  speak  Eng- 
lish?" 

The  Russian  captain  shook  his  head.  "Do  you 
speak  Russian  ?  "  he  asked  in  his  own  tongue. 

It  was  now  Gilbert's  turn  to  shake  his  head.  This 
made  him  smile,  and  the  Russian  seemed  also  to  enjoy 
the  grim  humor  of  the  situation. 

"  If  we  can't  understand  each  other,  we're  stuck," 
muttered  the    young    lieutenant.     Then   a   sudden 


142  ON    TO    PEKIN 

thought  struck  him,  and  he  turned  to  Stammer. 
"  Carl,  try  him  in  German." 

Saluting,  Stummer  did  so ;  and  at  this  the  Russian 
looked  relieved.  He  could  speak  sufficient  German 
to  make  himself  understood ;  and,  through  the  private, 
Gilbert  learned  that  the  Russian  body  at  the  wood 
numbered  about  three  hundred.  Over  two  thousand 
Boxers  were  in  front  of  the  Russians,  and  the  latter 
were  on  their  way  to  use  the  embankment  as  a  cover. 

"We  have  over  four  hundred  men,"  answered 
Gilbert,  through  Carl.  "  I  will  inform  my  superior 
of  the  state  of  affairs,  and  he  will  most  likely  come 
to  your  aid.  Will  you  hold  the  embankment  if  we 
skirt  the  wood  and  come  up  on  the  other  side  ?  " 

"  We  will,"  answered  the  Russian. 

By  this  time  the  foreign  officer  had  to  move  along 
with  the  last  of  his  command, —  fierce-looking  fel- 
lows, whose  uniforms  were  covered  with  dust,  dirt, 
and  blood.  The  young  lieutenant  lost  no  time  in 
returning  to  Major  Morris  and  reporting. 

"  We  will  skirt  the  wood,  as  you  intimated  to  the 
Russian  captain,"  said  the  major,  promptly.  "  Bat- 
talion, attention !  Forward  march !  Double  quick ! " 
And  away  went  the  command,  Company  A  leading, 


A   FIBST   BATTLE    ON   CHINESE    SOIL  143 

with  Captain  Banner  and  Gilbert  at  either  end  of  the 
long  line. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  Gilbert's  heart  beat 
quickly,  for  the  Chinese  could  be  seen  at  a  distance, 
shouting  and  screaming  and  waving  innumerable 
banners;  for  to  the  Celestials  banners  seem  almost 
as  necessary  as  guns.  Then  came  a  sudden  cracking 
of  rifles,  and  a  volley  of  bullets  passed  over  the 
Americans'  heads. 

"  Take  aim !  Fire !  "  came  the  order ;  and  the  long 
line  of  rifles  flashed  forth  and  many  a  Boxer  was 
seen  to  topple  over,  to  rise  no  more.  Each  regular 
was  a  trained  marksman,  and  shot  to  kill.  Then  the 
Americans  swept  on,  and  in  a  few  seconds  more 
Gilbert  was  in  the  very  midst  of  his  first  battle  on 
Chinese  soil. 


CHAPTER   XV 

FIGHTING   ALONG   THE   PEI-HO 

J  Give  it  to  'em  hot-like,  boys !  Show  'em  what 
American  regulars  can  do  ! " 

"  Make  every  round  tell.  We  haven't  any  ammu- 
nition to  waste." 

"  The  colonel  expects  us  to  give  a  good  account  of 
ourselves.     Don't  disappoint  him." 

So  the  cries  ran  on,  while  the  regulars  were  ad- 
vancing. But,  as  they  drew  closer  to  the  enemy,  a 
strange  silence  fell;  for  all  realized  that  what  was 
before  them  was  no  child's  play. 

The  Boxers  facing  the  American  troops  numbered 
at  least  a  thousand,  the  others  having  pursued  the 
Russians  at  the  embankment.  They  were  well 
armed;  and  a  second  volley  from  their  first  rank 
brought  down  two  of  the  Americans,  both  seriously 
wounded.  The  Celestials  were  making  a  tremendous 
din,  and  the  combined  noise  was  deafening,  while  the 
wild  waving  of  banners  was  well  calculated  to  destroy 
a  marksman's  aim. 

144 


The  yellow  man  was  on  the  point  of  blazing  away  at 
Gilbert's    ear. — Page    145. 


FIGHTING   ALONG   THE   PEI-HO  145 

But  the  command  was  again  to  go  forward,  coupled 
with  the  order  to  fire  at  will ;  and  soon  Gilbert  found 
himself  almost  face  to  face  with  a  crowd  of  Celestials. 
He  fired  his  pistol,  and  saw  his  man  tumble  back- 
ward; and  then,  as  if  by  magic,  four  or  five  of  the 
Boxers  hurled  themselves  at  him. 

The  fury-'  of  that  onslaught  cannot  be  described. 
The  young  lieutenant  had  been  in  several  hand-to- 
hand  encounters  in  Luzon ;  but  no  attack  by  Filipinos 
could  equal  this  frenzied  rush  by  fanatics,  who 
thought  by  annihilating  the  "foreign  devils"  they 
would  gain  for  themselves  a  superior  place  in  the 
Hereafter. 

"  Cheri-chi-chi !  "  was  the  battle-cry,  as  it  sounded 
in  Gilbert's  ears.  "  Kill !  kill !  kill ! "  was  the  word 
the  Boxers  used  the  most,  repeated  in  several  dia- 
lects. 

Gilbert  felt  that  he  must  fight  as  he  had  never 
fought  before.  His  sword  was  in  one  hand  and 
his  pistol  in  the  other.  Crack  1  crack  1  went  the 
smaller  weapon;  and  then  the  larger  was  thrust 
forward,  to  find  the  shoulder  of  a  Celestial  beside 
him.  The  yellow  man,  his  eyes  almost  staring  from 
his  head  with  excitement,  was  on  the  point  of  blaz- 


146  ON   TO   PEKIN 

ing  away  at  Gilbert's  ear  with  Ms  gun,  when  a  bullet 
from  the  rear  rank  of  the  Americans  killed  him  on 
the  spot.  Then  the  young  lieutenant  leaped  over 
a  dead  body  before  him,  hurling  a  little  Asiatic  flat, 
and  reached  a  breathing-spot,  where  he  might  catch 
his  second  wind. 

The  Boxers  had  been  carefully  trained  in  their 
peculiar  military  tactics ;  but  the  average  Chinaman 
loses  his  head  easily,  and  soon  the  officers  of  the 
Celestials  could  no  longer  control  them.  Some  con- 
tinued to  advance,  while  the  majority  retreated,  and 
the  din  became  even  greater  than  before. 

"  Form  a  square  !  "  was  the  command  from  Major 
Morris,  as  soon  as  he  realized  that  the  Boxers  were 
bewildered  and  running  around  on  all  sides.  The 
order  was  quickly  obeyed,  and  then  each  of  the  four 
companies  composing  the  sides  of  the  hollow  square 
was  ordered  to  advance.  They  fired  as  rapidly  as 
their  guns  permitted,  and  in  less  than  ten  minutes 
the  Celestials  were  all  in  retreat. 

In  the  mean  time  another  pitched  battle  had  been 
going  on  at  the  embankment,  and  here  honors  were 
about  equally  divided  between  the  Chinese  and  the 
Russians.     The  latter  had  been  fighting  hard  the  day 


FIGHTING  ALONG   THE   PEI-HO  147 

before ;  and  the  heat  had  all  but  exhausted  them,  for 
each  man  was  heavily  equipped. 

As  one  division  of  the  Celestials  was  fleeing  from 
the  Americans,  they,  or  at  least  a  larger  portion  of 
them,  plumped  straight  into  the  others  near  the  em- 
bankment, utterly  demoralizing  them.  "  The  Ameri- 
cans are  coming !  They  number  thousands !  "  was 
the  cry,  in  Chinese ;  and  then  began  a  retreat  such  as 
Gilbert  had  never  before  seen,  the  Boxers  tumbling 
over  each  other  in  their  haste,  tearing  their  flowing 
uniforms,  throwing  down  guns  and  swords,  and  all 
the  while  waving  their  beloved  banners  and  shriek- 
ing as  if  to  arouse  the  dead. 

The  Russians  saw  the  turn  of  affairs,  and  were 
quick  to  take  advantage  of  the  move.  In  a  twink- 
ling they  leaped  over  the  embankment,  and  poured  a 
hot  fire  into  the  retreating  enemy.  Soon  they  were 
beside  the  Americans,  and  then  they  did  all  in  their 
power  to  outstrip  them.  The  only  time  a  Russian 
soldier  would  pause  was  when  he  saw  some  wounded 
Chinaman  trying  to  escape,  when  the  wretched  fel- 
low would  immediately  be  despatched  with  a  bayonet. 

"That's  too  much  for  me,"  cried  Gilbert,  as  he 
watched  one  of  these   performances.     "Those  poor 


148  ON   TO   PEKIN 

fellows  are  out  of  the  fight.  Why  not  leave  them 
alone?" 

"  I'm  afraid  you'll  see  worse  than  that  before  we 
get  through,"  answered  Captain  Banner.  "  Some 
foreign  soldiers  are  pretty  brutal,  I  can  tell  you  that ; 
and  even  some  of  our  own  men  can't  be  held  back  at 
times." 

There  was  no  time  to  say  more,  for  all  were  after 
the  Boxers  on  the  double-quick.  Gradually  the 
Celestials  separated  into  three  parties.  At  this  the 
Russians  followed  one,  the  Americans  another,  while 
the  third  party  escaped  in  the  direction  of  Shan-Hai- 
Kwan,  a  town  to  the  north  of  Tongku. 

In  the  struggle  near  the  wood  the  Americans  had 
left  the  vicinity  of  the  railroad ;  but  now  the  Boxers 
they  were  after  ran  for  the  road-bed  and  came  out  at 
a  spot  between  that  and  the  Pei-Ho.  They  appeared 
to  know  the  marshland  perfectly,  and  soon  the  larger 
portion  of  them  disappeared  among  the  tall  reeds. 

Gilbert's  company  ran  as  far  as  possible  into  the 
marshland,  and  were  then  ordered  to  halt  by  Captain 
Banner.  Soon  after  this  Major  Morris  ordered  the 
entire  battalion  back  to  the  road-bed  of  the  railroad, 
and  fighting  for  the  time  being  came  to  an  end. 


FIGHTING   ALONG   THE   PEI-HO  149 

The  respite  was  a  welcome  for  the  men,  for  the 
hot  sun  had  caused  them  great  suffering.  A  hasty 
meal  was  had,  and  a  constant  watch  was  kept  for  the 
Boxers ;  but  they  did  not  reappear,  and  just  before 
nightfall  the  battalion  pushed  on  once  more  in  the 
direction  of  Tien-Tsin. 

"  Phew !  but  that  was  hot  while  it  lasted ! " 
exclaimed  Gilbert,  as  he  sank  on  a  hillock  to  rest. 
"  We  pitched  right  in  from  the  word  go ! " 

"So  we  did,"  answered  Captain  Banner.  "I 
wonder  what  became  of  that  Russian  detachment  ?  " 

"They  are  on  the  other  side  of  the  tracks  some- 
where. Hark !  You  can  hear  the  firing.  But  what 
is  that  booming  to  the  south  ?  " 

"That's  a  storm,"  put  in  another  officer.  "We 
are  going  to  catch  it  heavily,  mark  my  words." 

The  officer  was  right.  A  quarter  of  an  hour  later 
the  first  drops  began  to  fall,  and  in  less  than  an  hour 
the  downpour  became  a  perfect  deluge.  Close  beside 
the  railroad  some  of  the  soldiers  had  found  a  quan- 
tity of  driftwood,  and  of  this  they  proceeded  to  make 
shelters  to  keep  off  the  water. 

It  looked  as  if  the  battalion  was  in  for  a  bad  night 
of  it,  but  how  bad  no  one  yet  knew.     Darkness  had 


150  ON    TO   PEKIN 

scarcely  settled  down  when  a  staff  officer  dashed  up 
on  a  horse  covered  with  foam. 

"Is  that  Major  Morris's  command?"  came  to  the 
picket  from  out  of  the  gloom  and  the  rain. 

"Yes." 

"  Tell  him  I  have  a  message  from  the  colonel." 

Word  was  passed,  and  the  major  went  out  to  meet 
the  messenger. 

"You  must  proceed  to  Tien-Tsin  without  delay, 
Major  Morris,"  said  the  staff  officer.  "The  foreign 
section  is  suffering  an  extra  heavy  bombardment.  A 
force  of  Japanese  and  French  will  soon  be  along  this 
way,  and  orders  are  for  you  to  attach  yourself  to 
that  body." 

"I  will  do  all  I  can,  Captain  Drake,"  answered 
the  major.  And,  knowing  the  staff  officer  well,  he 
continued,  "  What  does  this  mean,  anyway  ?  " 

"  It  means  that  the  Old  Harry  is  to  pay  at  Tien- 
Tsin.  All  told,  the  Allies  have  but  twelve  thousand 
men  there ;  while  the  attacking  force  is  said  to  num- 
ber twenty  to  thirty  thousand,  and  is  being  constantly 
increased.  The  Chinese  regulars  have  joined  the 
Boxers." 

"  And  how  many  men  have  we  on  the  road  ?  " 


FIGHTING   ALONG   THE   PEI-HO  151 

"The  Allies  had  four  thousand;  but  some  extra 
Japanese  and  German  troops  have  just  arrived,  and 
they  are  to  be  pushed  forward  to-night,  if  possible. 
But  I  must  be  going.  If  I  am  not  mistaken,  here 
come  the  Japanese  and  French  I  mentioned  now." 

A  steady  tramping  through  the  rain  and  darkness 
could  be  heard,  and  soon  came  a  cry  from  the  picket 
line.  The  major  rode  forward  to  investigate  in 
person,  and  soon  found  himself  confronted  by  a 
Japanese  officer  of  a  rank  equal  to  his  own.  The 
Japanese  officer  was  uniformed  most  gorgeously,  and 
rode  a  black  steed  that  the  major  easily  saw  was  a 
thoroughbred. 

"  Yes,  we  shall  march  straight  to  Tien-Tsin,"  said 
the  Japanese,  in  excellent  English.  "  I  was  told  of 
your  command,  and  shall  be  pleased  to  have  your 
company.  I  shall  keep  to  the  right  of  the  railroad  so 
long  as  the  enemy  remains  under  cover.  The  French 
are  going  to  keep  to  the  left." 

"  Then  we  will  continue  close  to  the  river," 
answered  Major  Morris;  and,  saluting,  he  rode  off. 
Necessary  orders  were  at  once  issued;  and  again 
Gilbert  found  himself  on  the  march. 

The  forward  movement  continued  until  long  after 


152  ON   TO   PEKIN 

midnight,  when,  too  tired  out  to  go  another  step, 
the  battalion  was  stopped  by  the  commander.  The 
French  detachment,  consisting  of  six  hundred  men, 
likewise  halted.  But  the  Japanese  would  not  stop, 
and  went  off  with  their  steady,  tripping  step,  in  a 
manner  to  astonish  everybody. 

"  By  Jove,  I  believe  they  could  march  for  a  week 
without  stopping,"  was  Captain  Banner's  comment. 
"  They  seem  to  be  all  bone  and  muscle." 

"  And  they  live  on  little  but  rice,  too,"  added  Gil- 
bert. "It  certainly  is  wonderful  what  they  can 
endure." 

The  Frenchmen  were  glad  enough  to  have  the 
Americans  at  hand,  and  the  two  camps  were  pitched 
side  by  side.  The  foreigners  were  from  the  south  of 
France,  and  were  mostly  the  sons  of  farmers  or  grape- 
growers. 

"  We  are  bound  to  meet  all  kinds  of  people  here," 
said  Gilbert.  He  was  much  interested  in  the  French- 
men, and  was  sorry  he  could  not  converse  with  them. 
Here  and  there  a  conversation  was  held,  but  it  was 
soon  discovered  that  the  supply  of  French  on  one 
side  and  of  English  on  the  other  was  decidedly 
limited. 


FIGHTING   ALONG   THE   PEI-HO  153 

Gilbert  had  become  accustomed  to  sleeping  on  the 
battlefield;  and,  seeking  the  most  sheltered  spot  he 
could  find,  he  was  soon  in  the  land  of  dreams.  He 
slept  until  daybreak,  and  was  just  turning  over  for 
another  nap  when  one  of  the  sergeants  aroused  him. 

"  Up  quick,  lieutenant ! "  was  the  cry.  "  The 
Chinese  are  coming  along  the  river.  We  are  in  for 
another  scrap,  sure,  and  a  big  one ! " 


CHAPTER   XVI 

ENTERING   TIEN-TSIN    UNDER    DIFFICULTIES 

It  did  not  take  Gilbert  long  to  rouse  up  and  reach 
for  his  weapons.  His  pistol  and  sword  secured,  he 
ran  to  where  his  company  was  already  forming,  under 
the  directions  of  Second  Lieutenant  Bruff.  A  shoot- 
ing in  the  direction  of  the  Pei-Ho  told  him  that  hos- 
tilities had  already  started. 

"  The  Chinese  are  moving  in  the  direction  of  Tien- 
Tsin,"  announced  Major  Morris.  "  We  must  follow 
them  up.     The  French  detachment  will  support  us." 

But  little  more  was  said,  and  five  minutes  later  the 
battalion  of  American  regulars  were  moving  along 
silently.  It  was  still  raining,  but  it  could  be  seen 
that  the  storm  was  coming  to  an  end. 

Presently  there  came  a  loud  shouting  out  of  the 
darkness,  followed  by  more  shots. 

"  Don't  let  them  get  into  the  boat !  For  the  love 
of  heaven,  push  her  from  shore ! " 

"Some  Americans  or  English  in  a  boat,  and  in 
154 


ENTEEING   TIEN-TSIN  155 

trouble!"  cried  Captain  Banner,  and  gazed  at  the 
major  inquiringly. 

"Company  A  will  march  directly  to  the  river 
shore,"  said  Major  Morris,  promptly.  "If  those 
people  in  the  boat  need  assistance,  give  them  all  you 
can." 

The  rain  had  soaked  the  marshland  thoroughly, 
and  soon  the  members  of  Company  A  found  them- 
selves in  water  over  their  ankles.  The  shouting 
from  the  river  continued ;  and  at  length  they  made 
out  a  small  lighter,  usually  used  to  transport  goods 
from  the  steamboats  in  Taku  Harbor  to  Tien-Tsin. 
The  lighter  was  filled  with  refugees  from  Tien-Tsin, 
—  men,  women,  and  children, —  who  were  trying  to 
escape  the  furies  of  the  Chinese  bombardment.  The 
craft  had  become  stuck  in  the  mud,  and  was  being 
fired  upon  by  a  party  of  Boxers,  numbering  at  least 
two  hundred  and  fifty. 

As  soon  as  he  realized  the  situation,  Captain  Ban- 
ner did  not  hesitate  as  to  what  to  do.  Bringing  his 
company  to  a  halt,  he  ordered  the  men  to  fire  low,  so 
as  not  to  hit  anybody  in  the  boat. 

The  first  round  was  very  effective,  six  Boxers 
being  killed  and  as  many  more  wounded.     The  at- 


156  ON   TO   PEKIN 

tack  came  largely  as  a  surprise,  for  the  Celestials  had 
been  so  intent  upon  killing  those  in  the  boat  that  they 
had  paid  no  attention  to  what  might  come  behind 
them.  At  once  yells  and  shrieks  arose ;  and,  wher) 
Company  A  poured  in  a  second  and  a  third  round, 
the  Boxers  scattered,  some  running  up  the  shore, 
and  the  others  down.  They  fired  only  a  handful  of 
shots,  and  these  did  little  damage. 

By  this  time  both  the  American  and  French  sol- 
diers were  ranging  along  the  Pei-Ho,  and  the  scatter- 
ing of  the  Boxers  brought  on  their  doom.  One  de- 
tachment fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Frenchmen,  and 
were  killed  almost  to  a  man ;  while  the  other  —  by 
far  the  larger  detachment  —  ran  into  the  arms  of  the 
other  companies  of  Major"  Morris's  battalion.  A 
fierce  rough-and-tumble  fight  ensued,  the  most  of  it 
on  the  American  side  falling  to  Company  C ;  and 
then  the  Boxers  leaped  into  the  stream  to  swim  for 
the  other  shore.  At  least  twenty  were  laid  low  on 
land,  and  as  many  more  killed  or  wounded  in  the 
water. 

It  was  soon  learned  that  the  lighter  had  started 
from  Tien-Tsin  on  the  evening  of  the  day  before,  in 
the  midst  of  the  heavy  downpour  of  rain.    It  carried 


ENTEKING   TIEN-TSIN  157 

twenty-eight  people,  mostly  English  and  German, 
although  there  was  one  American  and  his  wife  and 
little  girl. 

"The  bombardment  at  Tien-Tsin  is  something 
awful,"  said  the  American,  whose  name  was  Margoss. 
"At  first  the  Chinese  couldn't  get  our  range;  but 
now  they  have  it,  and  they  pour  shot  and  shell  into 
almost  any  place  they  select.  My  partner  in  busi- 
ness, Mr.  Mackley,  was  sitting  on  the  front  porch  of 
his  residence  when  a  shot  struck  the  top  of  the 
porch,  killing  him  instantly.  Most  of  the  stores  are 
in  ruins,  and  the  people  have  all  they  can  do  to  keep 
the  fires  that  start  from  spreading." 

"  What  are  our  soldiers  doing  ?  " 

"I  know  nothing  of  any  but  the  marines  under 
Captain  McCalla,  and  they  can  do  but  little  outside 
of  holding  their  own.  Some  of  the  sharpshooters  are 
out  every  day,  picking  off  every  pig-tail  who  shows 
himself.  But  that  is  only  a  drop  in  the  bucket ;  for 
the  government  troops  of  China  have  united  with 
the  Boxers,  and  combined  they  number  thousands 
to  our  hundreds.  If  the  Chinks  could  fight  as  the 
foreign  troops  fight,  we  should  be  wiped  out  in  no 
time." 


158  ON   TO   PEKLN 

"  The  barbarities  are  something  dreadful,"  put  in 
Mrs.  Margoss.  "  The  Chinese  are  very  brutal,  liter- 
ally hacking  women  and  children  to  death ;  and  this 
has  so  angered  some  of  the  Japanese  and  Russians 
that  they  can't  be  held  in  check,  and  consequently 
they  are  taking  no  prisoners,  bat  putting  all  the 
enemy  to  the  sword  or  bayonet.  In  some  cases 
women  and  children  are  treated  like  the  men,  for 
the  Japanese  and  Russians  say  they  are  not  to  be 
trusted." 

This  version  of  affairs  was  corroborated  by  all  the 
others  in  the  boat.  The  refugees  were  very  bitter, 
for  many  of  them  had  lost  everything  but  the  clothes 
on  their  backs.  Two  in  the  craft  had  been  wounded, 
and  two  had  leaped  overboard  and  disappeared. 

A  consultation  was  held ;  and  it  was  decided  that 
the  lighter  should  be  used  to  ferry  the  American  and 
French  soldiers  over  the  river,  that  they  might  have 
more  of  a  chance  to  get  into  Tien-Tsin.  On  a  pinch 
the  craft  could  carry  several  hundred  men,  so  it  did 
not  take  long  to  complete  the  movement.  This  done, 
the  lighter  was  again  turned  over  to  the  refugees. 
With  the  latter  went  all  the  Americans  and  French 
who  had  been  wounded,  under   an  escort  of  eight 


ENTERING   TIEN-TSIN  159 

Frenchmen, —  clever  shots,  who  could  do  a  good  deal 
in  the  way  of  protection  if  the  lighter  got  into  another 
tight  corner. 

By  the  time  the  battalion  was  ready  to  continue 
its  march  toward  Tien-Tsin  it  was  broad  daylight. 
As  the  soldiers  came  closer  to  the  foreign  quarter  of 
the  city,  they  kept  closer  together;  and  a  vidette  was 
sent  ahead,  that  they  might  not  fall  into  a  trap. 

The  evidences  of  a  bombardment  were  now  to  be 
seen  on  every  hand.  The  Pei-Ho  was  full  of  the 
dead  bodies  of  Boxers,  some  washed  up  on  the  shore 
by  the  tide  and  others  floating  aimlessly  hither  and 
thither.  Here  and  there  a  savage  "  chow  "  (Chinese 
wolf  dog)  was  feeding  on  the  corpses.  Where  the 
road  was  not  torn  up,  it  was  strewn  with  household 
effects,  soldier  equipments,  and  the  like.  At  one 
point  there  was  a  hasty  breastworks  built  of  a  pile  of 
salt. 

Suddenly,  just  as  Tien-Tsin  was  sighted,  there 
came  a  number  of  shots  from  across  the  river,  and 
one  of  the  French  soldiers  was  struck  in  the  arm. 
A  body  of  Chinese  troops  had  sighted  the  oncoming 
troops,  and  in  a  few  minutes  a  small  field-gun  was 
trained  upon  them. 


160  ON  TO  PEKIN 

"  Double  quick ! "  came  the  order  from  Major 
Morris ;  for  lie  realized  that  they  could  do  nothing 
against  an  enemy  who  lay  across  the  stream  and  who 
had  a  piece  of  artillery  at  his  command. 

The  order  was  obeyed  as  quickly  as  given.  The 
Frenchmen  were  in  the  lead ;  and  they  soon  reached 
the  wall  of  the  foreign  quarter,  where  of  a  sudden 
they  received  a  cheer  from  their  own  countrymen,  who 
were  guarding  the  outer  defences  in  that  vicinity. 

"  Right  wheel !  "  came  the  order  for  the  American 
battalion ;  and  they  moved  off  in  the  direction  of  a 
row  of  huts,  but  still  keeping  close  to  the  wall. 
They  were  still  some  distance  from  one  of  the  arse- 
nals, when  a  volley  from  an  embankment  to  their  left 
made  them  stop. 

That  the  entire  foreign  quarter  of  Tien-Tsin  was 
suffering  a  heavy  bombardment  there  could  be  no 
doubt;  for  the  booming  of  cannon  was  continuous, 
and  from  a  distance  came  that  whining  of  shells 
which,  when  once  heard,  is  never  forgotten. 

"  Hurrah !  I  see  an  American  flag !  "  cried  Gilbert, 
after  looking  through  a  pair  of  field-glasses. 

"  Hurrah  for  Old  Glory !  "  was  the  cry.  '<  See, 
there  is  an  opening  for  us,  at  yonder  gate  I w 


ENTERING   TIEN-TSIN  161 

Major  Morris  had  already  seen  the  opening,  and 
the  battalion  was  immediately  urged  onward  once 
more.  Once  some  Chinese  troops  showed  themselves 
in  the  long  grass  to  the  westward,  and  the  four  com- 
panies of  Americans  opened  fire  on  them.  Then 
the  embankment  was  gained,  and  the  troops  slipped 
through  the  gate  mentioned,  just  as  a  Chinese  field- 
gun  sent  a  twelve-pound  shot  after  them.  The  shot 
took  off  the  top  of  a  near-by  flagstaff,  but  otherwise 
did  no  damage. 

Once  inside  of  the  outer  wall  of  Tien-Tsin,  the  bat- 
talion felt  fairly  safe  for  the  time  being.  Still,  they 
were  but  a  short  distance  from  the  Chinese  quarter ; 
and  it  was  soon  learned  that  the  Celestials  had  from 
ten  to  twenty  thousand  troops  on  hand,  with  many 
more  pouring  into  the  neighborhood  every  day. 
What  the  outcome  of  the  fighting  at  Tien-Tsin 
would  be,  no  one  cared  to  predict.  It  was  felt  that 
the  Allies  needed  re-enforcements  very  much. 

"  What  a  mixture  of  troops !  "  such  was  Gilbert's 
comment  when  first  he  saw  the  camp  of  the  Allies. 
English,  French,  German,  Italian,  Russian,  and  Jap- 
anese were  represented;  and  of  these  troops  there 
were  numerous  branches,  such  as  the  Chinese-Eng> 


162  ON   TO   PEKIN 

lish,  the  East  Indian  English,  and  the  Japanese-Ger- 
man and  Chinese-French.  It  was  a  conglomeration 
as  startling  as  it  was  interesting.  Some  few  of  the 
troops  were  on  ponies  and  horses,  but  the  majority- 
were  afoot.  All  were  armed  in  the  latest  fashion, 
however ;  and  the  general  appearance  presented  was 
formidable. 

"  China  must  think  it  has  the  world  against  it," 
observed  Gilbert,  after  the  company  had  come  to  a 
halt  and  Major  Morris  had  gone  off  to  report  to  his 
superior. 

"  And  so  it  has,"  answered  Captain  Banner.  "  Civ- 
ilization is  going  to  move  on ;  and  China  must  move, 
too,  or  take  the  consequences." 

The  battalion  was  too  tired  out  to  do  anything  but 
rest;  and  a  cool,  shady  spot  was  found  for  it  not 
far  from  the  English  legation,  for  it  was  but  natural 
that  the  Americans  and  the  English  should  stick  to- 
gether, speaking  the  same  language.  Gilbert  was 
glad  enough  to  throw  himself  down,  and  was  soon 
half  asleep. 

"They  tell  me  the  Chinese  have  four  mounted 
guns  in  the  native  quarter,"  remarked  Captain  Ban- 
ner, on  returning  from  a  short  walk. 


ENTERING   TIEN-TSIN  163 

"  But  we  have  heard  more  than  four  cannon,"  said 
Gilbert. 

"  Oh,  they  have  others,  on  the  outside.  They  are 
directing  a  good  part  of  their  fire  over  to  the  railroad 
station,  and  an  English  officer  just  told  me  that  the 
round-house  is  in  ruins." 

"What  are  we  to  do?" 

"Nothing  for  the  present.  I  suppose  they  will 
put  us  on  the  outer  defences  to-morrow." 

"Then  we'll  see  some  more  real  fighting  very 
soon." 

"We  shalL" 


CHAPTER   XVII 

GILBERT   MEETS   AMOS   BAETLETT 

Despite  the  fighting  which  he  had  done  during 
the  past  few  days,  Gilbert  had  not  forgotten  about 
Mr.  Amos  Bartlett;  and  as  soon  as  he  found  time  he 
started  out  to  learn,  if  possible,  what  had  become  of 
the  tea-merchant. 

It  was  with  difficulty  that  he  found  the  street 
upon  which  was  located  Amos  Bartlett's  house  and 
likewise  the  place  where  the  merchant  did  business. 
It  was  usually  a  busy  quarter,  but  now  it  was  all 
but  deserted. 

The  streets  were  filled  with  rubbish  and  filth,  and 
household  effects  were  scattered  everywhere.  More 
than  one  house  or  store  showed  signs  of  the  bom- 
bardment, in  the  way  of  great  holes  or  falling  walls ; 
and  at  certain  points  the  very  roadway  was  ploughed 
up. 

At  last  the  young  lieutenant  stood  before  Amos 
Bartlett's  warehouse,  a  low,  rambling  affair  of  wood. 

164 


GILBERT   MEETS   AMOS   BAKTLETT  165 

It  seemed  to  be  locked  up ;  and  he  was  about  to  go 
on  to  the  house  beyond,  when  a  cry  in  an  English 
voice  arrested  him. 

"  Let  those  goods  alone !  They  belong  to  me,  and 
you  shall  not  touch  them ! " 

The  voice  was  high-pitched  and  trembling,  as  if 
that  of  an  elderly  man,  and  appeared  to  come  from 
the  rear  of  the  warehouse.  Curious  to  know  what 
was  going  on,  Gilbert  hurried  to  the  rear,  and  here 
found  an  elderly  American  gentleman  and  three 
Russian  soldiers.  The  Russian  soldiers  were  trying 
to  walk  off  with  a  big  box  of  tea,  and  the  elderly 
man  was  endeavoring  to  stop  them.  The  foreigners 
were  talking  in  their  native  tongue,  and  of  course 
Gilbert  could  not  understand  a  word  of  what  was 


"What's  the  trouble?"  asked  the  young  lieuten- 
ant. The  brutal  looks  on  the  faces  of  the  three  Rus- 
sians did  not  please  him. 

"  They  wish  to  rob  me  of  my  tea,  and  I  refuse  to 
let  them  have  it,"  answered  the  elderly  gentleman ; 
and  then,  glancing  at  Gilbert's  uniform,  he  added, 
"Are  you  an  American  officer?" 

"I  am." 


166  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"Then  let  me  tell  you  that  I  am  an  American 
citizen.  These  are  my  own  private  goods,  and  I  place 
myself  under  your  protection." 

Gilbert  was  startled,  and  naturally ;  for  he  imme- 
diately felt  the  delicacy  of  his  position.  Yet  it  was 
not  in  him  to  shirk  his  duty;  and,  facing  the  three 
Russians,  he  ordered  them  to  drop  the  box  they 
had  picked  up. 

At  once  all  three  began  to  talk  at  a  rapid  rate, 
every  word  being  utterly  unintelligible  to  the  young 
lieutenant.  All  he  could  do  was  to  point  to  the  box 
with  his  sword  and  then  point  to  the  floor.  But  the 
Russians  either  did  not  or  would  not  understand,  and 
they  started  for  the  door  with  their  burden. 

But  Gilbert  was  not  to  be  circumvented ;  and,  rush- 
ing to  the  doorway,  he  placed  himself  in  the  very 
centre  of  it,  holding  his  sword  straight  in  front  of 
him. 

"Can  you  speak  Russian?"  he  asked  of  the 
elderly  man. 

"  Just  a  little." 

"  Then  tell  them  that  you  have  placed  the  goods 
in  care  of  the  American  soldiers." 

As  well  as  he  was   able,  the  elderly  man  did  as 


GILBERT   MEETS   AMOS   BARTLETT  167 

requested.  At  once  the  Russians  began  to  answer, 
speaking  as  rapidly  as  before. 

"They  say  they  have  orders  from  one  of  their 
officers  to  take  the  tea,"  said  the  elderly  man.  "But 
I  don't  believe  them.  Some  of  those  Russians  have 
stolen  my  tea  before  this.  They  are  all  great 
drinkers  of  tea,  you  know." 

"  Tell  them  they  must  produce  a  written  order  for 
tea,  properly  signed,"  went  on  Gilbert.  "  Then,  if 
they  take  it,  you  can  charge  it  up  to  the  Russian 
government." 

"When  Gilbert's  words  were  translated  the  three 
Russians  scowled.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  they  had  not 
been  sent  out  at  all,  but  were  on  a  private  looting 
expedition,  and  had  expected  to  obtain  a  rich  prize  in 
the  chest  of  tea,  which  weighed  at  least  a  hundred 
pounds.  One  of  the  number  looked  as  if  he  wished 
to  fight  the  young  lieutenant,  but  the  determined 
look  in  Gilbert's  eyes  held  him  in  check. 

"  Be  it  so.  We  will  get  an  order,"  said  the  ring- 
leader, in  Russian ;  and  he  sullenly  withdrew,  followed 
by  his  comrades,  Once  outside,  they  lost  no  time  in 
hurrying  for  the  Russian  camp,  fearful  of  being  fol- 
lowed and  reported. 


168  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"That  is  the  sixth  time  they  have  attempted  to 
loot  this  warehouse,"  said  the  elderly  man,  drawing  a 
long  sigh  of  relief  on  finding  the  intruders  gone.  "  If 
I  didn't  keep  watch  day  and  night,  I  shouldn't  have  a 
cash's  worth  of  goods  left." 

"I  am  glad  I  was  of  service  to  you,"  answered 
Gilbert ;  and  then  he  added  curiously,  "  Can  this  be 
Mr.  AmosBartlett?" 

"  That  is  my  name,  lieutenant.  But  you  have  the 
advantage  of  me."  And  Amos  Bartlett  looked  at 
Gilbert  carefully. 

"We  have  never  met,  Mr.  Bartlett;  but  I  have 
often  heard  of  you,  and  you  knew  my  father  and  my 
mother  quite  well.  My  name  is  Gilbert  Pennington, 
and  my  father  was  Jefferson  Pennington." 

"  Jefferson  Pennington's  son !  Is  it  possible  ?  " 
The  elderly  gentleman  held  out  his  hand.  "I  am 
more  than  delighted  to  meet  you."  And  he  wrung 
Gilbert's  hand  warmly.  The  heartiness  of  the  grasp 
was  one  Gilbert  never  forgot ;  and,  as  he  looked  into 
Amos  Bartlett's  eyes,  he  realized  that  he  had  met  one 
who  could  be  trusted  and  who  would  be  his  friend. 

"  Perhaps  you  will  think  it  queer,  but  I  have  been 
thinking  of  you  a  good  deal  lately,"  said  the  young 


GILBERT   MEETS   AMOS   BARTLETT  169 

lieutenant.  "  And  it  was  partly  to  try  to  find  you 
that  I  was  anxious  for  this  campaign  in  China." 

"  Yes  ?  You  excite  my  curiosity.  But  come  into 
my  house,  and  I  will  introduce  you  to  my  wife  and 
daughter.  I  wished  to  send  them  to  Taku  for  safety, 
but  neither  would  leave  me." 

Trembling  with  excitement  over  what  had  just 
occurred,  Amos  Bartlett  led  the  way  out  of  the 
warehouse,  the  door  of  which  he  bolted  and  locked, 
and  then  took  Gilbert  to  the  house  next  door,  a  com- 
fortable residence,  built  in  the  form  of  a  hollow 
square,  and  two  stories  high.  In  the  centre  was 
a  tastefully  laid  out  garden;  and  here,  resting  in 
hammocks,  were  Mrs.  Bartlett,  a  lady  nearly  as  old 
as  her  husband,  and  Jennie,  her  daughter,  a  girl  of 
fifteen. 

Mrs.  Bartlett  had  known  the  late  Mrs.  Pennington 
well,  and  was  greatly  pleased  to  meet  Gilbert ;  and 
the  daughter  was  also  interested.  They  soon  made 
the  young  lieutenant  feel  at  home,  and  the  lady  of 
the  house  had  a  faithful  Chinese  servant  prepare 
some  refreshments. 

"Of  course  we  are  all  upset,"  said  Mrs.  Bartlett; 
"  for  we  do  not  know  what  minute  the  Chinese  may 


170  ON   TO   PEKIN 

turn  their  guns  in  this  direction  again.  I  want  my 
husband  to  go  to  Taku  with  us,  but  he  insists  upon 
remaining  here  and  guarding  his  property  to  the  last ; 
and  I  cannot  bear  to  think  of  separating  from  him, 
for  we  have  been  together  ever  since  we  came  to 
China." 

"  You  spoke  about  coming  particularly  to  see  me," 
put  in  Amos  Bartlett. 

"  I  did  wish  to  see  you  very  much,  Mr.  Bartlett," 
answered  Gilbert.  "  But,  before  I  go  further,  let  me 
ask,  has  Mr.  Ramsey  Polk's  son  Nuggy  called  upon 
you  yet?" 

"  Ramsey  Polk's  son  ?  "  repeated  the  tea-merchant. 
"  Why,  no.     I  did  not  know  that  he  was  in  China." 

"  He  came  over  from  Manila  with  our  regiment, 
although  he  is  not  a  soldier." 

"I  have  seen  or  heard  nothing  of  him.  I  remem- 
ber him  as  a  boy,  but  that  is  all." 

"  He  is  on  his  way  here  to  buy  out  your  interest 
in  the  Richmond  Importing  Company." 

"  Indeed !  I  was  informed  by  letter  that  the  Im- 
porting Company's  affairs  were  in  bad  shape."  And 
Amos  Bartlett  smiled  in  a  peculiar  way. 

"  Who  wrote  you  that?" 


GILBERT   MEETS   AMOS   BAETLETT  171 

"Ramsey  Polk.  He  told  me  I  had  better  sell 
out." 

"  According  to  my  notion,  he  has  misinformed  you ; 
and  the  company  is  in  a  highly  prosperous  condi- 
tion." 

"So  I  have  already  learned  through  a  lawyer  I 
hired  to  investigate.  Is  this  what  you  wish  to  see 
me  about?" 

"  I  wanted  to  see  you  about  the  claim  my  father 
had  on  the  company  at  the  time  of  his  death.  If  you 
will  remember,  my  mother  got  only  about  two  thou- 
sand dollars  —  " 

"  But  Ramsey  Polk  paid  her  twenty-six  thousand 
dollars  later  on,"  interposed  the  old  tea-merchant. 

"  Twenty-six  thousand  dollars !  He  didn't  pay 
her  a  cent  more  than  the  law  compelled  him  to  pay." 

"  But  he  wrote  to  me  that  he  had  paid  it  to  her," 
insisted  Amos  Bartlett. 

"  Then  he  wrote  that  which  was  not  true.  Did 
you  know  that  there  was  twenty-six  thousand  dollars 
coming  to  her  ?  " 

"  I  did.  Your  father  turned  over  the  certificates 
of  stock  to  Polk  just  before  he  died.  I  wrote  to 
Polk  about  it,  and  he  wrote  back  as  I  have  told  you. 


172  ON  TO  PEKIN 

So  neither  you  nor  your  mother  ever  got  the  money? 
This  looks  like  a  deliberate  swindle.  Well,  I  am  not 
surprised  —  after  the  game  Polk  tried  to  work  upon 
me.  He  is  a  bad  egg"  And  Amos  Bartlett  shook 
his  head  sadly. 

"  I  met  Nuggy  Polk  by  accident  in  Manila,"  con- 
tinued Gilbert,  and  related  the  particulars  of  the 
affair.  "  If  he  turns  up  here,  he  will  get  the  better 
of  you  if  he  can.  But  probably  he  will  be  too  scared 
to  come  to  Tien-Tsin  just  now." 

"  I  don't  believe  he  can  harm  me  —  since  I  have 
learned  the  truth  of  matters  in  Richmond  and  since 
you  have  warned  me.  As  soon  as  the  present  war 
is  over,  I  shall  go  to  work  to  bring  Ramsey  Polk  to 
a  strict  accounting." 

"  And  will  you  aid  me  in  my  suit  against  him  ?  " 
asked  Gilbert,  anxiously. 

"  Certainly  I  will,  lieutenant.  Your  father  and  I 
were  great  friends,  and  I  will  do  all  in  my  power  to 
see  that  justice  is  done  you." 

Amos  Bartlett  extended  his  hand,  and  Gilbert  took 
it  again.  By  this  time  the  refreshments  were  ready 
to  be  served,  and  the  whole  party  moved  to  a  piazza 
of  the  residence  where  it  was  more  shady. 


GILBERT  MEETS   AMOS   BARTLETT  173 

The  move  was  a  providential  one ;  for  hardly  were 
the  party  seated  around  the  table  which  the  Chinese 
servant  had  spread  when  there  came  a  low  and 
sudden  whine,  as  of  something  in  deadly  pain,  and  a 
shell  burst  directly  in  the  top  of  a  tree  growing  in 
the  centre  of  the  garden.  The  report  was  followed 
by  a  shower  of  small  branches  and  leaves,  and  then 
it  was  seen  that  the  tree  had  been  split  in  twain 
almost  from  top  to  bottom. 

"  Creation !  but  that  was  close !  "  cried  Gilbert ; 
while  Jennie  Bartlett  shrieked  from  fright.  Then 
the  young  lieutenant  looked  at  the  split  tree.  "  Get 
out  of  the  way ! "  he  ejaculated  hoarsely.  "  It's 
coming  down  on  top  of  us!" 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

THE   SPY  IN   THE   RIVER 

Gilbert  had  been  sitting  next  to  Jennie  Bartlett ; 
and,  as  he  uttered  the  words  recorded  in  the  last 
chapter,  he  canght  the  young  lady  by  the  arm. 
There  was  a  window  of  the  house  handy, —  a  long 
affair,  reaching  to  the  piazza  floor, —  and  through  this 
he  sprang,  taking  the  frightened  miss  with  him. 

Bang !  crash !  One  side  of  the  tree  struck  the 
piazza  fairly  and  squarely;  and  in  a  twinkling  the 
roof  was  completely  shattered,  the  table  with  its 
dishes  crushed  flat,  and  Amos  Bartlett  was  caught 
and  pinned  to  the  ground,  with  his  wife  beside  him. 
There  was  a  cloud  of  dust  and  splinters,  followed  by 
a  yell  from  the  Chinese  servant,  who  was  of  the 
opinion  that  the  whole  building  was  doomed,  and 
who  fled  out  of  the  house  and  up  the  street  at  his 
best  speed. 

"  Oh ! "  came  from  Jennie  Bartlett.  "  Father  and 
mother  I " 

174 


THE   SPY  IN   THE   RIVER  175 

"It  is  over  now,"  said  Gilbert,  as  the  crashing 
stopped  and  the  dust  began  to  settle.  "You  were 
not  touched,  were  you  ?  " 

"No;  but  poor  father  and  mother — "  She  could 
say  no  more. 

Leaving  the  girl  in  the  house,  Gilbert  stepped  out- 
side once  more.  A  glance  showed  him  that  the  tree 
had  settled  as  far  as  possible,  so  danger  from  this 
source  was  now  over.  He  ran  to  the  side  of  the 
elder  Bartletts,  to  find  Mrs.  Bartlett  trying  to  regain 
her  feet.  The  lady  had  a  slight  bruise  on  the 
shoulder,  but  was  otherwise  uninjured. 

"  My  husband  I  He  is  dead ! "  she  panted.  '« Oh, 
poor  Amos !     What  shall  I  do  now  ?  " 

"He  isn't  dead.  He  is  only  unconscious,"  said 
Gilbert,  as  he  knelt  by  the  tea-merchant's  side,  and 
applied  his  ear  to  the  elderly  man's  breast.  "His 
heart  still  beats.  See,  he  has  been  struck  in  the  back 
of  the  head."  And  he  pointed  out  the  wound,  from 
which  the  blood  was  trickling. 

"What  shall  I  do?"  repeated  Mrs.  Bartlett,  wring- 
ing her  hands.  The  disaster  had  completely  un- 
nerved her. 

"Get  a  little  water  and  a   towel,  and  we  will 


176  ON   TO   PEKIN 

bind  up  his  head.  Is  there  a  doctor  anywhere 
about?" 

"  There  is  a  doctor  on  the  street  behind  ours,— 
Dr.  Fairchild." 

The  water  and  a  bandage  were  brought ;  and  Amos 
Bartlett  was  raised  up,  taken  into  the  house,  and 
placed  on  a  couch.  By  this  time  he  was  regaining 
his  senses,  and  he  slowly  opened  his  eyes. 

"  Oh ! "  he  murmured,  and  looked  around  him. 
"My  wife  and  Jennie,  where  are  they?" 

"  We  are  safe,  Amos,"  answered  his  wife ;  "  but 
you  have  been  hurt."  And  the  tears  sprang  to  her 
eyes.     "  Oh,  how  I  wish  we  had  all  gone  to  Taku ! " 

"  Yes,  perhaps  it  would  have  been  best.  Oh,  my 
head  and  my  back !  I  feel  as  if  I  should  never  be 
able  to  walk  again  1 " 

"  O  papa,  do  not  say  that ! "  burst  out  Jennie. 
"  Does  your  back  hurt  you  very  much  ?  " 

"  It  feels  numb,  as  if  it  was  paralyzed."  Amos 
Bartlett  gave  a  groan  he  could  not  suppress.  "  The 
weight  of  the  —  the  tree  was  more  than  I — I — 
could  stand  1 "  He  gave  a  gasp,  and  then  fainted 
away. 

More    alarmed  than   ever,  Mrs.  Bartlett  begged 


THE   SPY   IN   THE   RIVER  177 

Gilbert  to  go  for  the  doctor  she  had  mentioned; 
and,  receiving  directions  as  to  where  the  medi- 
cal man  lived,  the  young  lieutenant  hurried  off, 
through  a  lane  to  the  rear  of  the  warehouse.  As 
he  ran  along,  he  heard  several  shells  whistling 
through  the  air;  but  none  came  down  in  that  im- 
mediate vicinity. 

Reaching  the  doctor's  residence,  his  message  was 
quickly  delivered;  and  Dr.  Fairehild  returned  with 
him  to  Amos  Bartlett's  home.  It  was  found  that 
the  tea-merchant  had  again  recovered  consciousness; 
but  he  was  now  in  a  fever,  and  talked  wildly. 

"This  is  a  bad  case,"  whispered  the  doctor  to 
Gilbert.  "He  may  be  paralyzed,  and  that  blow  on 
the  head  may  affect  his  brain.  I  will  do  my  best 
for  him,  but  you  know  as  well  as  I  that  his  age  is 
greatly  against  him." 

"  Yes,  do  your  best  by  all  means,"  answered  the 
young  officer.  "  I  hope  he  recovers  entirely,  for  the 
sake  of  his  wife  and  daughter." 

Gilbert  remained  with  the  family  for  an  hour 
longer;  and  during  that  time  the  Chinese  servant 
came  sneaking  back,  and  began  to  put  the  house  in 
order.     "  Welly  muchee  frightened  me,"  said  the  ser- 


178  ON   TO  PEKLN 

vant  to  Gilbert.  "Shung  Sing  flink  whole  house 
clom  down  on  head." 

"Well,  you  are  frank  about  it,"  was  Gilbert's 
comment.  "  Don't  you  run  away  again !  Your  mis- 
tress needs  you."  And  the  Chinaman  promised  to 
stay,  but  Gilbert  knew  that  his  word  amounted  to 
nothing.  Shung  Sing  was  honest  and  a  hard 
worker ;  but  he  thought  more  of  his  own  skin  than 
of  anything  else  in  the  world,  and  was  prepared  to 
run  at  the  least  alarm. 

When  Gilbert  returned  to  camp,  he  found  an 
earnest  consultation  going  on  among  the  officers.  A 
guard  was  needed  at  a  certain  point  along  the  river, 
where  a  pontoon  bridge  was  to  be  put  down ;  and  it 
was  finally  decided  that  the  guard  should  consist  of  a 
company  of  Americans  and  a  company  of  British  in- 
fantry. Captain  Banner's  command  was  called  out; 
and  by  nightfall  Gilbert  found  himself  stationed 
along  the  Pei-Ho  once  more,  near  a  row  of  deserted 
huts  of  bamboo  and  mud.  There  was  a  small  road 
running  down  to  the  stream  at  this  point ;  and  the 
Americans  guarded  one  side  of  the  highway,  while 
the  English  detachment  guarded  the  other. 

It  was  felt  that  the  utmost  caution  must  be  exer« 


THE   SPY  IN   THE   RIVER  179 

cised,  especially  during  the  night;  and,  after  going 
the  rounds  himself,  Captain  Banner,  on  turning  in, 
requested  Gilbert  to  keep  his  eye  on  the  corporal 
of  the  guard  and  the  pickets. 

"  There  is  a  rumor  out  that  several  Chinese  spies 
are  around,"  said  the  commander  of  Company  A. 
"  If  it  is  true,  we  don't  want  any  of  them  slipping 
through  our  lines." 

"  I'll  caution  the  boys  myself,"  said  Gilbert. 

It  must  be  confessed  that,  though  tired,  the  young 
lieutenant  did  not  feel  in  the  humor  for  sleeping. 
His  mind  was  filled  with  what  Amos  Bartlett  had 
told  him,  and  he  could  not  help  but  wonder  if  the 
tea-merchant  would  recover. 

"  If  he  doesn't  recover,  his  evidence  against  Ram- 
sey Polk  will  be  lost,"  thought  Gilbert,  dismally.  "  I 
believe  I  ought  to  take  what  he  has  to  say  down  in 
writing,  get  him  to  sign  it,  and  then  have  it  wit- 
nessed." The  more  he  thought  of  this,  the  more 
necessary  did  it  seem  to  become ;  and,  at  last,  he  re- 
solved to  have  the  evidence  put  on  paper  at  the  first 
opportunity. 

The  night  was  dark,  and  it  looked  as  if  it  might 
vain  at  any  moment.     A  hot  air  was  blowing  from  up 


180  ON   TO   PEKIN 

the  river,  carrying  with  it  a  smell  that  was  far  from 
pleasant.  The  picket  line  stretched  a  distance  of 
two  hundred  yards;  and  at  one  point  there  was 
a  truck  garden,  now  deserted,  containing  potatoes, 
onions,  and  a  few  vegetables  peculiar  to  this  district 
of  China. 

As  Gilbert  went  the  rounds,  he  came  upon  Carl 
Stummer,  who  was  stationed  where  there  was  an 
inlet  surrounded  by  a  fringe  of  tall  reeds.  He 
found  the  German  soldier  peering  intently  into  the 
reeds. 

"  See  anything  unusual?"  he  asked  in  a  low  voice. 

"  Hush !  "  came  in  a  whisper.  "  I  dink  a  Chink 
vos  schwimmin'  out  dare !  " 

At  once  Gilbert  became  silent,  and  felt  of  his 
pistol  to  see  if  the  weapon  was  ready  for  use. 

A  few  minutes  passed, —  just  then  the  time  seemed 
much  longer, —  and  Carl  pointed  to  a  spot  just  be- 
yond the  reeds.  "See  dot?"  he  asked  lowly.  "Is 
dot  a  log  of  vood  ?  " 

Gilbert  did  not  reply  immediately,  for  he  was 
straining  his  eyes  to  pierce  the  semi-darkness.  He 
felt  certain  that  what  the  German  soldier  saw  was 
a  log  of  wood ;  but  it  was  moving  along  in  an  uncer- 


"See  anything  unusual?"  he  asked.  —  Page  180. 


THE   SPY  IN   THE   RIVER  181 

tain  fashion,  as  if  the  tide  was  sending  it  one  way 
and  some  unknown  agency  another. 

"Something  is  under  or  behind  it,"  he  answered 
at  last,  in  a  voice  which  Carl  could  scarcely  hear. 
"  Perhaps  the  log  is  hollow." 

"  Chust  vot  I  vos  dinkin',"  replied  the  regular. 
"  Und  I  vos  dink  der  vos  von  Chink  under  dot  log, 
hey?" 

"  I  shouldn't  be  much  surprised.  Have  you  a  bit 
of  rope  handy  ?  " 

"Rope?" 

"Yes;  a  piece  about  thirty  feet  long?" 

"Yes,  dare  vos  a  rope  up  der  stream,  vere  da 
stharted  to  but  town  dot  pondoon  pridge." 

"  I  will  get  it,  and  we'll  soon  see  if  that  is  only  a 
log  or  not." 

Running  to  where  the  engineering  corps  had  been 
at  work,  the  young  lieutenant  quickly  procured  the 
rope  Carl  had  described,  and  also  a  bit  of  an  iron  bar 
with  a  ring  at  one  end.  Through  the  ring  Gilbert 
shoved  an  end  of  the  rope,  and  made  it  fast. 

"Here  goes,"  he  said,  as  he  rejoined  Carl.  "If 
that  is  nothing  but  a  log,  it  will  come  in  easily 
enough." 


182  ON   TO  PEKIN 

Holding  fast  to  one  end  of  the  rope,  lie  let  fly  with 
the  other,  that  containing  the  bit  of  iron.  His  aim 
was  true;  and  with  a  splash  the  iron  landed  in  the 
water  on  the  outer  side  of  the  log.  Then  Gilbert 
began  to  pull  in. 

No  sooner  was  this  movement  commenced  than 
an  extraordinary  thing  occurred.  The  log  gave 
a  sudden  wobble,  and  seemed  about  to  turn  over, 
when  up  came  a  yellow  hand  and  arm,  and  hauled 
it  back.  Although  he  was  not  positive,  Gilbert 
imagined  that  he  also  saw  the  top  of  a  yellow  man's 
head. 

"He's  there,  sure  enough,"  said  the  young  lieu- 
tenant. 

"  Shall  I  schoot  at  him  ?  "  asked  Carl,  raising  his 
rifle. 

"  Not  yet."  Gilbert  raised  his  voice.  "  Come  in 
here !  "  he  called  out. 

To  this  there  was  no  reply,  and  he  gave  a  sudden 
yank  on  the  rope.  Over  came  the  log,  in  spite  of  the 
efforts  of  the  yellow  man  under  it.  Then  came  a 
splash,  and  the  two  on  shore  saw  a  Chinaman  swim- 
ming away  for  his  very  life. 

"  Stop,  or  we'll  fire  at  you ! "  cried  Gilbert. 


THE   SPY  IN   THE  RIVER  183 

But  the  Celestial  would  not  stop ;  and,  raising  his 
pistol,  the  young  lieutenant  blazed  away.  At  the 
same  instant  Carl's  gun  spoke  up ;  and  both  reports 
were  followed  by  a  scream  of  pain,  for  the  shots  had 
entered  the  fellow's  shoulder. 

"  I  think  he  would  rather  die  than  be  captured," 
said  Gilbert.  "  But  we  must  take  him  if  we  can. 
He  may  prove  to  be  an  important  capture.  No  ordi- 
nary Chinaman  or  Chinese  soldier  would  be  swim- 
ming around  here  this  time  of  night." 

"  Of  I  vos  a  first-class  schwimmer,  I  vos  chump  in 
for  him,"  replied  the  German.  "  Put  he  might  grab 
me  und  drown  me,  hey  ?  " 

By  this  time  the  corporal  of  the  guard  was  hurry- 
ing to  the  spot,  wanting  to  know  what  the  two  shots 
meant.  He  was  a  tall,  powerful  fellow  from  South 
Dakota,  and  was  perfectly  willing  to  leap  into  the 
stream  and  bring  in  the  "  pig-tail "  by  his  hair,  as  he 
expressed  it,  although  he  *  allowed  as  how  it  would 
be  dead  easy  to  plug  him  fer  keeps.' 

"I  don't  wish  him  killed,"  answered  Gilbert. 
"  Bring  him  in  if  you  can,  but  beware  that  he  doesn't 
knife  you." 

"I'll  have   my  eyes   open,   lieutenant,"  said   the 


184  ON  TO   PEKIN 

corporal.  "  I've  been  in  the  mines  where  the  Chinks 
worked,  and  I  know  'em  all  around." 

The  corporal  was  soon  in  the  water,  and  his 
powerful  strokes  speedily  took  him  to  where  the 
Chinaman  was  making  for  the  other  side  of  the 
Pei-Ho.  Although  wounded,  there  was  still  a  good 
deal  of  fight  left  in  the  yellow  man ;  and  it  was  not 
until  the  corporal  hauled  off,  and  hit  him  in  the  back 
of  the  neck,  that  he  became  limp  and  next  to  help- 
less. Then  he  was  dragged  ashore,  and  made  a 
prisoner. 

The  Chinaman  was  well  dressed,  and  had  on  even 
his  elaborately  decorated  wooden  shoes.  He  would 
not  speak,  although  it  was  afterward  learned  that  he 
understood  English  very  well. 

At  Captain  Banner's  tent  the  prisoner  was  sub- 
mitted to  a  thorough  search.  On  the  inner  side  of 
one  of  his  garments  a  little  pocket  was  discovered, 
containing  several  sheets  of  rice  paper,  very  thin  and 
folded  into  the  smallest  possible  space.  The  prisoner 
tried  to  throw  these  sheets  away,  but  Gilbert  saw 
and  prevented  the  movement. 

On  the  sheets  of  paper  was  a  message,  written  in 
Chinese,  which  no  one  in  the  camp  could  decipher. 


THE   SPY  IN   THE  RIVER  185 

"  We'll  have  to  take  it  to  the  colonel,"  said  Cap- 
tain Banner. 

The  matter  was  talked  over ;  and  a  little  later  Gil- 
bert was  sent  off  on  the  mission,  and  with  him  went 
Dan  Casey  and  a  private  named  Hunter,  as  a  guard. 
In  the  mean  time  the  prisoner's  wounds  were  at- 
tended to,  and  then  he  was  tied  up  in  the  guard-tent. 

The  colonel  was  stopping  at  a  deserted  Chinese 
residence,  nearly  half  a  mile  from  the  river.  He  had 
with  him  the  third  battalion,  who  were  guarding  a 
line  of  communication  leading  to  the  Taku  road. 

Fortunately,  the  way  to  the  residence  was  already 
known  to  Gilbert ;  otherwise  the  party  of  three  must 
have  been  lost  on  the  road,  which  wound  in  and  out 
over  the  marshland,  with  here  and  there  a  dangerous 
ditch  to  cross,  where  the  Boxers  had  torn  up  the  sods, 
so  that  no  artillery  or  cart  train  might  pass.  Occa- 
sionally there  would  come  to  their  ears  the  dismal 
croak  of  a  night  bird,  feeding  upon  some  corpse  in  the 
vicinity.  On  every  hand  were  those  mounds  of  the 
dead,  previously  mentioned.  But  Gilbert  was  grow- 
ing used  to  them  now,  and  he  scarcely  noticed  them. 

"Who  goes  there?" 

It  was  a  cry  from  out  of  the  darkness ;  and,  stand- 


186  ON   TO  PEKIN 

ing  along  the  roadway,  the  young  lieutenant  saw  a 
picket  from  the  third  battalion,  with  gun  levelled, 
ready  to  shoot. 

"  Friends ! "   shouted  Gilbert. 

"Advance,  one  friend,  and  give  the  countersign," 
went  on  the  picket,  still  keeping  his  rifle  levelled; 
but,  when  he  caught  sight  of  Gilbert,  he  lowered 
the  weapon.     "  Oh,  it's  you,  lieutenant." 

"Yes,  my  man."  Gilbert  gave  the  countersign, 
which  was  Manila.  "  Can  you  tell  me  if  the  colonel 
is  up  at  the  house  ?  " 

"  He  was  an  hour  ago." 

Gilbert  passed  on,  and  his  guard  with  him.  At  the 
entrance  to  the  house  another  picket  challenged  him ; 
but  he  soon  went  in,  and  the  colonel  was  aroused. 

The  Chinese  message  puzzled  the  commander  as 
much  as  it  had  Captain  Banner.  "  I  must  find  some 
Chinese  scholar  for  this,"  he  said,  and  proceeded  to 
hunt  up  a  missionary  without  delay.  When  trans- 
lated, the  message  ran  as  follows :  — 

"  All  is  ready  to  blow  up  the  Cross  Mission.  The 
powder  train  leads  from  Chow  Fun's  house.  Will 
fire  at  signal  of  three  rockets.  Ching  Wo." 


CHAPTER   XIX 

SAVING  THE   MISSION   HOUSE 

"The  rascals!"  burst  from  the  colonel's  lips. 
"It  is  lucky  you  caught  that  spy." 

Gilbert  read  the  translation  of  the  message  with 
as  much  interest  as  any  one.  "It  makes  a  close 
shave  for  those  at  the  Mission  House,"  was  his  com- 
ment.    "  I  think  — "     He  stopped  short. 

"What  do  you  think,  Lieutenant  Pennington? 
Don't  be  afraid  to  talk  in  a  crisis  like  this." 

"You'll  excuse  me  then,  colonel;  but  of  course 
you'll  inform  those  at  the  mission — " 

"At  once,"  finished  the  commander  of  the  regi- 
ment. "  But  I  was  thinking  of  what  it  says  about 
Chow  Fun's  house.  I  wonder  if  that  place  is  known 
to  the  consul  ?  " 

"  More  than  likely,  for  it  cannot  be  very  far  from 
the  consulate  and  the  Mission  House." 

"The  consulate  is  full  of  people.  Captain  Mc- 
Calla  is  there,  and  several  other  officers,  and  one  or 
two  missionaries  and  their  families." 

187 


188  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"Shall  I  carry  the  message?" 

The  colonel  thought  for  a  moment.  "You  may 
as  well,  for  there  is  no  staff  officer  at  hand.  Tell 
them  they  must  catch  this  Chow  Fun  if  they  can,  and 
any  accomplices  he  may  have." 

"  I  will,"  replied  Gilbert, 

"  You  may  ride  the  distance,  in  order  to  save  time. 
There  are  plenty  of  horses,  so  your  companions  can 
ride,  too." 

Five  minutes  later  the  party  of  three  were  off  in 
the  midnight  darkness.  Dan  Casey  had  been  to  the 
consulate  twice  on  errands  for  his  superiors,  so  he 
knew  the  road  fairly  well ;  and  on  they  flew  at  the 
top  of  their  horses'  speed.  <$, 

"  They  may  not  wait  for  the  rocket  signal,"  said 
Gilbert.  "  If  they  suspect  anything  is  wrong,  they 
may  fire  that  powder  at  any  moment." 

"An'  thin  the  Mission  House  would  be  blown  sky- 
high,"  returned  Casey.  "  Say,  but  thim  Chinks  is 
vipers  now,  ain't  they?" 

"  We  just  want  to  catch  that  Chow  Fun,"  put  in 
Hunter.  "  I'll  wager  he's  a  bad  one, —  and  a  daring 
one,  too, —  or  he  wouldn't  hang  so  close  around  the 
enemy." 


SAVING    THE   MISSION    HOUSE  189 

"  It's  a  bad  plan  to  trust  all  of  the  so-styled  Chris- 
tian Chinese,"  said  Gilbert.  "They  are  no  more 
religious  than  their  heathen  brothers,  and  they  will 
all  stab  us  in  the  back  if  they  can.  I  don't  believe 
one  in  ten  is,  at  heart,  a  real  out-and-out  Christian." 

There  was  little  chance  to  say  more,  for  the  plung- 
ing of  the  horses  rendered  conversation  difficult. 
The  road  was  better  than  close  to  the  river,  but  still 
full  of  holes ;  and  once  Casey  was  thrown,  and  Gil- 
bert was  afraid  the  Irishman  had  broken  his  neck. 

"  Are  you  hurt,  Dan  ?  "  he  cried. 

"  The  —  the  wind  is  out  av  —  av  me !  "  gasped  Dan. 
"  But  there's  nothin'  busted  but  me  —  me  timper. 
Bad  cess  to  ye,  you  villain !  "  And,  rising  to  his  feet, 
he  belabored  his  steed  so  earnestly  that  the  horse 
pranced  in  all  directions. 

"  Don't  do  that,  Dan,"  went  on  Gilbert.  "  It  will 
do  no  good.  The  horse  didn't  go  into  the  hole  for 
fun.     It's  a  wonder  he  didn't  break  a  leg." 

"  He's  got  no  sinse,  lieutenant,"  growled  the  Irish- 
man. "  Sure,  an'  why  didn't  he  look  where  he's 
afther  goin'  ?  "  He  leaped  again  into  the  saddle,  and 
held  a  close  rein,  and  the  remainder  of  the  journey 
was  passed  without  any  further  trouble. 


190  ON   TO  PEKIN 

At  the  consulate  all  was  dark  save  for  a  light  on 
the  porch  of  the  rather  pretty  building.  A  guard 
was  out,  who  informed  them  that  the  consul  and  his 
guests  were  all  asleep. 

"You  must  have  the  consul  aroused  at  once," 
said  Gilbert.  "  Tell  him  I  have  a  message  for  him 
of  great  importance."  And  then  he  added  in  a  lower 
tone,  "  Has  he  any  Chinese  around  ?  " 

"  Not  just  now." 

"  All  right.  If  any  Chinamen  do  turn  up,  arrest 
them  on  the  spot." 

A  second  guard  was  summoned,  and  presently  the 
consul  appeared,  in  his  dressing-gown.  He  read  the 
message  with  keen  interest. 

"  The  Cross  Mission  to  be  blown  up ! "  he  ejacu- 
lated. "  This  is  awful !  I  must  get  the  folks  out  of 
the  building  at  once." 

"  Let  us  investigate  first,"  said  Gilbert.  "  Is  there 
a  cellar  under  the  building  ?  " 

"  Yes,  a  small  one." 

The  consul  led  the  way  to  the  mission,  which  was 
close  by,  followed  by  Gilbert  and  several  others.  A 
well-covered  lantern  was  taken  along,  and  a  minute 
inspection  began  of  the  cellar.     In  one  corner  was 


SAVING   THE   MISSION   HOUSE  191 

found  a  large,  square  box  of  powder;  and  running 
into  this  was  a  fuse  enclosed  in  a  small  copper  tub- 
ing. Without  hesitation,  Gilbert  pulled  the  fuse 
from  the  box ;  and  all  danger  of  having  the  mission 
blown  up  was  over. 

"  Phew !  but  that  was  an  escape !  "  said  one  of 
the  party,  wiping  the  cold  sweat  from  his  forehead. 
"If  that  had  gone  off,  all  of  us  would  have  been 
blown  to  Kingdom  Come." 

The  box  of  powder  was  removed  to  a  safe  place ; 
and  then  the  party  went  upstairs,  told  the  mission 
folks  of  what  was  going  on,  and  returned  to  the  con- 
sulate. 

"  And  now,  if  you  let  me  know  something  about 
this  Chow  Fun,  we'll  try  to  bag  him,"  said  the  young 
lieutenant,  who  believed  in  the  old  saying,  "  Make 
hay  while  the  sun  shines." 

"The  house  is  on  the  next  block, —  the  small 
white  place  behind  the  stone  wall,"  replied  the  con- 
sul. "There  are  two  brothers,  Chow  Fun  and 
Chow  Ching.  Up  to  now  I  had  thought  them  very 
friendly." 

Taking  two  of  Captain  McCalla's  marines  and  his 
own  men  with  him,  Gilbert  set  off  for  the  house  of 


192  ON    TO   PEKIN 

Chow  Fun,  followed  by  several  private  people  who 
had  been  lodging  at  the  mission.  Everybody  was 
armed,  and  all  made  the  visit  on  foot. 

At  the  Chinaman's  home  all  was  dark,  and  the  iron 
gate  was  found  barred  and  locked. 

"  We'll  scale  that  wall,"  said  Gilbert,  and  detailed 
one  of  the  marines  to  keep  watch  on  the  outside, 
along  with  the  two  citizens  who  happened  to  be 
armed  with  guns. 

At  that  moment  a  dog  inside  of  the  Chinese  com- 
pound, as  an  enclosure  there  is  sometimes  called, 
began  to  bark.  Undaunted  by  this,  however,  Gilbert 
scrambled  over  the  wall;  and  with  him  went  Dan 
Casey  and  the  others.  The  house  lay  just  beyond, 
and  it  was  found  that  the  dog  was  tied  up  beside  the 
front  door.  The  building  was  of  stone,  and  pre- 
sented the  appearance  of  a  miniature  fortress ;  for  the 
Chinese  rarely  have  windows  on  the  street  side  of  a 
home. 

"  Go  around  to  the  back,  Dan,"  ordered  Gilbert. 
And,  subduing  the  dog,  he  rapped  loudly  on  the 
door  with  his  sword. 

For  fully  a  minute  there  was  no  sound  from 
within.     Then  came  light  footsteps,  first  to  the  front 


SAVING   THE   MISSION   HOUSE  193 

door  and  then  to  the  back.  A  low  murmur  of  voices 
followed. 

"Open  that  door,  I  tell  you,"  went  on  Gilbert, 
rapping  again.  "If  you  won't,  we'll  batter  it 
down." 

"What  you  Amelicans  wantee?"  came  a  voice 
from  the  top  of  the  door;  and  Gilbert  saw  that  a 
small  wicket  had  been  opened. 

"  We  want  to  see  Chow  Fun." 

"  Chow  Fun  no  here.     Chow  Fun  go  to  Taku." 

"Where  is  Chow  Ching?" 

"He  all  go  way,  too." 

"Then  let  us  in,  anyway,"  went  on  Gilbert,  im- 
patiently.    "  Be  quick  about  it,  too." 

"No  can  come  in.  We  alle  right.  We  no  makee 
Amelicans  no  trouble,  not  muchee,"  went  on  the 
Celestial,  and  closed  the  little  wooden  shutter  in 
Gilbert's  face. 

"You  won't  open,  eh?"  muttered  the  young  lieu- 
tenant. "  Come,  Hunter,  let  us  see  what  we  can 
do." 

The  dog  now  began  to  grow  savage  again,  at 
which  one  of  the  citizens  who  had  come  along 
clubbed  him   over  the   head  with   his   gun,  silenc- 


194  ON   TO   PEK2N 

ing  him  forever.  Then  soldiers  and  citizens  put 
their  shoulders  to  the  door,  and  it  went  down  with 
a  crash. 

A  yell  in  Chinese  followed.  "  No  dome  in  here, 
no  shootee  I "  A  scurry  of  footsteps  came  after  in 
the  inky  darkness  of  the  abode,  and  all  was  as  silent 
as  the  grave. 

A  match  was  struck,  and  a  lamp  lit ;  and,  hardly 
had  this  been  done,  when  there  came  a  shot  from  the 
rear  of  the  dwelling,  followed  by  a  cry  from  Dan 
Casey.  "  Take  that,  ye  haythin  I "  exclaimed  the 
Irish  regular.  "  Lieutenant,  they  are  after  tryin'  to 
git  out  av  a  hole  in  the  cellar ! " 

Light  in  hand,  Gilbert  ran  through  the  house. 
Another  shot  rang  out ;  and  a  bullet  hit  the  lamp, 
knocking  it  from  his  hand  and  scattering  the  oil  in 
every  direction.  Gilbert's  arm  caught  fire,  but  the 
flame  was  quickly  extinguished.  Most  of  the  oil 
flew  upon  a  large  rush  curtain  hanging  between  two 
rooms,  and  in  a  trice  the  curtain  was  blazing  lively 
and  rilling  the  residence  with  smoke. 

"We'll  have  to  get  out  of  here,"  cried  Hunter, 
who  was  just  behind  Gilbert.  "  If  we  don't,  we'll  be 
burnt  up  like  rats  in  a  trap." 


SAVING   THE   MISSION   HOUSE  195 

"  What  became  of  that  Chinaman  we  were  talking 
to?" 

"He  ran  to  the  back,"  said  the  citizen  who  had 
followed  the  soldiers  up. 

They  had  barely  time  to  regain  the  garden,  when 
the  flames  shot  through  the  house  from  top  to  bot- 
tom ;  for  it  was  flimsily  built  inside  and  as  dry  as 
tinder. 

Another  shot  now  came  from  the  rear ;  and,  rushing 
in  that  direction,  Gilbert  found  Casey  on  the  ground, 
in  a  desperate  struggle  with  two  Chinamen,  one  of 
whom  was  trying  to  knife  the  soldier. 

"  Let  up !  Hilp !  "  yelled  Dan.  "  That  fer  ye  !  an 
that ! "  And  he  rolled  over,  and  struck  out  heavily. 
In  this  manner  one  Chinaman  was  disposed  of;  but 
the  other,  the  fellow  with  the  knife,  let  drive,  and  the 
blade  struck  the  Irishman  in  the  calf  of  the  leg. 

Gilbert  saw  how  desperate  was  the  encounter ;  and, 
leaping  to  one  side,  he  fired  at  the  Celestial  with  the 
knife,  hitting  him  in  the  arm.  As  the  fellow  sprang 
up  to  run,  the  citizen  also  fired;  and  then  the  yel- 
low man  dropped  like  a  lump  of  lead,  with  a  bullet 
through  his  brain. 

"  Good  fer  you !  "  gasped  Casey,  and  got  up.    The 


196  ON   TO   PEKIN 

second  Chinaman  was  too  dazed  to  move  just  yet, 
and  he  was  quickly  made  a  prisoner. 

In  the  mean  time  Hunter  was  having  his  hands 
full  on  the  outside  of  the  wall ;  for  two  other  China- 
men had  tried  to  escape  from  the  building  and 
grounds  by  a  side  way,  leading  to  a  lane  between 
several  warehouses.  Hunter  had  hold  of  one  Celes- 
tial, and  the  other  was  righting  the  two  marines. 
Presently  the  two  Celestials  managed  to  get  together, 
and  they  ran  down  the  lane  for  dear  life.  The  crowd 
followed,  and  one  Chinaman  was  shot  dead.  The 
other,  however,  managed  to  escape. 

By  this  time  a  crowd  was  collecting,  and  the  house 
was  burning  so  fiercely  that  to  save  any  of  the  con- 
tents was  impossible.  It  was  allowed  to  burn  to  the 
ground,  the  fire  department  merely  taking  care  that 
the  conflagration  did  not  spread. 

After  the  excitement  was  over,  it  was  found  that 
the  two  Chinamen  who  had  been  killed  were  Chow 
Fun,  the  owner  of  the  building,  and  Ching  Wo,  the 
rascal  who  had  plotted  the  destruction  of  the  con- 
sulate and  who  had  sent  off  the  spy  captured  by 
Gilbert,  Stummer,  and  the  corporal  of  the  guard. 
The  man  who  had  been  captured  was  a  relative  of 


SAVING   THE   MISSION   HOUSE  197 

Ching  Wo  and  an  officer  in  the  Chinese  army  under 
Prince  Tuan.  The  man  who  had  escaped,  it  was 
later  on  learned,  was  Chow  Ching,  the  younger 
brother  to  Chow  Fun,  and  the  fellow  who  had 
answered  Gilbert's  summons  at  the  door.  Gilbert 
never  expected  to  see  this  rascal  again,  but  in  this 
surmise  the  young  lieutenant  was  mistaken. 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  BOMBARDMENT  OP  TIEN-TSIN 

The  first  half  of  the  month  of  July  was  a  busy 
time  for  all  the  allied  forces  operating  in  and  around 
the  foreign  section  of  Tien-Tsin. 

In  round  figures  the  Allies  did  not  number  on 
July  10  more  than  sixteen  thousand  effective  men. 
How  many  Boxers  and  Chinese  government  troops 
there  were  to  oppose  them  will  probably  never  be 
known,  but  they  certainly  footed  up  to  forty  or  fifty 
thousand. 

The  enemy  were  located  in  the  walled  native  city, 
where  they  had  over  fifteen  thousand  troops  and  four 
heavy  guns;  across  the  Pei-Ho,  where  they  had 
several  field-pieces,  with  more  coming  up  every  day ; 
and  on  the  great  plain  to  the  west  of  Tien-Tsin, 
where  it  was  feared  that  an  army  was  forming  so 
vast  that  the  Allies  would  be  swept  out  of  existence 
by  the  mere  force  of  numbers. 

The  bombardment  of  the  foreigners  continued  al- 
198 


THE   BOMBARDMENT   OP   TIEN-TSIN  199 

most  night  and  day;  and  property  to  the  value  of 
millions  of  dollars  was  destroyed,  including  many 
ancient  and  beautiful  buildings  which  can  never  be 
replaced.  The  regular  railroad  bridge  over  the 
Pei-Ho  was  already  gone,  and  the  pontoon  bridges 
erected  were  subjected  to  such  a  constant  and  accu- 
rate fire  that  to  cross  any  of  them  involved  a 
great  risk.  On  one  of  these  bridges  a  Hong  Kong 
English  detachment  was  caught,  and  almost  cut  to 
pieces. 

The  bombardment  called  for  many  deeds  of  daring ; 
for  communications  with  Taku  were  kept  open  only 
with  the  utmost  difficulty,  and  the  re-enforcements 
coming  up  had  literally  to  fight  their  way  through 
miles  of  hostile  country  to  reach  the  real  battlefield. 
All  telegraph  wires  had  been  cut,  and  the  engineering 
corps  could  not  repair  them  until  the  fall  of  the 
native  quarter  of  Tien-Tsin  was  almost  assured. 

There  was  a  great  rivalry  between  the  English, 
Russians,  and  Germans  over  the  control  of  the  rail- 
road ;  and  many  were  the  trials  made  for  opening  the 
line  to  Tongku,  the  Chinese  ripping  up  the  rails 
almost  as  fast  as  they  were  put  down.  Two  loco- 
motives were  stationed  near  the  battered  round-house, 


200  ON   TO   PEKIN 

and  one  day  some  Russian  troops  went  out  to  man 
thern.  The  detachment  divided  into  two  parts;  and, 
while  one  engaged  the  attention  of  the  enemy,  the 
other  leaped  aboard  the  engines  and  several  box  cars, 
and  went  off  at  the  best  rate  of  speed  of  which  the 
old  locomotives  were  capable.  As  soon  as  the 
Chinese  discovered  what  was  up,  they  trained  their 
guns  on  the  locomotives,  and  nearly  knocked  one  off 
the  track.  Nevertheless,  the  rolling  stock  was  saved ; 
and  to-day  the  engines  are  running  on  the  Taku- 
Tien-Tsin  line  as  before  the  war. 

During  the  first  days  of  the  bombardment  the 
Allies  suffered  greatly  for  the  want  of  siege  guns. 
The  majority  of  the  troops  had  come  from  the  Gulf 
in  the  notion  that  they  were  to  march  directly  upon 
Pekin,  with  the  guns  to  follow  later  on.  Only  the 
Japanese  had  a  few  small  pieces,  which  could  not 
reach  the  larger  pieces  of  the  Chinese. 

But  all  this  was  changed  with  the  coming  of  some 
British  artillery,  guns  which  had  done  duty  in  South 
Africa  against  the  onslaughts  of  the  plucky  Boers, 
and  which  were  appropriately  labelled,  "  From  Lady- 
smith  to  Pekin."  These  guns  were  stationed  close 
to  the  west  wall,  where  the  Chinese  artillerists  could 


THE   BOMBARDMENT    OF    TIEN-TSIN  201 

not  see  them ;  and  they  were  aimed  by  the  aid  of  flag 
signals  from  the  top  of  Gordon  Hall. 

On  the  morning  of  July  9  it  was  felt  that  the  posi- 
tion regarding  communications  with  Taku  was  grow- 
ing critical.  The  Chinese  were  well  planted  with 
their  guns  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Pei-Ho;  and 
their  troops  on  the  western  plain  were  gradually  cir- 
cling southward  and  to  the  east,  in  order  to  reach  the 
other  bank  of  the  stream,  thus  cutting  off  the  Allies' 
connection  with  the  outside  world. 

"  Something  is  up  to-day,  sure,"  remarked  Captain 
Banner  to  Gilbert.  "  The  Chinese  are  enfilading  our 
twelve-pounders,  and  the  British  gunners  can't  hold 
their  position  unless  relief  is  given." 

"  I  see  that  our  marines  are  getting  ready  to  move," 
replied  the  young  lieutenant.  "  I  wish  we  were 
going  with  them.  I  am  tired  of  doing  nothing  but 
guard  duty." 

"  Don't  fret.  We  have  still  plenty  of  fighting 
before  us,"  was  the  captain's  reassuring  answer. 

Early  that  morning  a  detachment  of  the  Allies,  in- 
cluding a  hundred  American  marines,  with  two  thou- 
sand Japanese,  English,  and  Russians,  marched  to  the 
Taku  gate  of  the  outer  city,  and  then  down  the  bank 


202  ON    TO   PEKIN 

of  the  Pei-Ho.  They  soon  came  in  sight  of  the 
Chinese  force  on  the  plain ;  and  a  battle  at  long  range 
started,  lasting  for  several  hours.  Gradually  the 
Chinese  were  forced  around  to  the  West  Arsenal,  and 
then  they  fled.  They  were  pursued  by  the  cavalry ; 
and  a  party  of  six  hundred  Boxers  were  cut  to  pieces 
almost  to  a  man,  the  Japanese  horsemen  riding  over 
them  rough-shod.  In  this  fight  the  arsenal  was  capt- 
ured, also  four  field-pieces,  and  over  a  score  of 
Chinese  banners,  including  the  dreaded  head-spear 
flag  of  the  Boxers.  A  head-spear  flag  is  one  of  black, 
mounted  on  a  bamboo  pole,  topped  with  a  human 
skull. 

Gilbert's  company  was  stationed  close  to  the  river 
still,  and  was  under  more  or  less  fire  all  the  time. 
The  pickets  often  indulged  in  "sniping,"  as  it  is 
termed ;  and  many  a  Boxer  who  exposed  himself  was 
laid  low  most  unexpectedly.  But  the  Chinese  also 
did  some  sharpshooting ;  and  the  soldiers  soon  found 
it  expedient  to  keep  out  of  sight  of  the  enemy,  even 
at  long  range. 

The  weather  was  most  disagreeable.  When  it  was 
not  raining,  the  sun  shone  down  with  the  fury  of  a 
fiery  furnace;  and,  during   the  middle    of  the  day, 


THE   BOMBAEDMENT    OF    TIEN-TSIN  203 

working  at  anything  was  out  of  the  question  for  all 
but  the  Japanese,  who  never  seemed  to  mind  the  heat 
in  the  least.  What  these  little  men  from  the  Mi- 
kado's domain  could  do  and  endure  was  a  constant 
source  of  wonder  and  astonishment  to  the  rest  of  the 
Allies.  "  They  are  the  backbone  of  this  whole  move- 
ment," said  Gilbert;  and  Major  Morris  agreed  with 
him. 

"  They  used  to  jeer  at  the  Japanese,  just  as  they 
jeer  at  the  Chinese,"  said  the  major.  "  But  Mr.  Jap 
is  all  there  every  time." 

It  was  not  until  several  days  later  that  Gilbert 
managed  to  get  away,  in  order  to  call  again  upon 
Amos  Bartlett  and  his  family.  He  had  heard  of  a 
serious  fire  in  that  neighborhood,  and  wondered  if  it 
had  reached  the  tea-merchant's  residence. 

He  found  the  house  untouched,  although  in  much 
disorder,  with  the  wreck  of  the  back  porch  and  the 
fallen  tree  still  littering  the  enclosed  garden.  The 
fire  had  found  the  huge  warehouse ;  and  a  back  addi- 
tion had  been  consumed,  while  the  contents  of  the 
main  building  had  suffered  much  from  smoke  and 
water. 

"I  am  glad  to  see  you,  lieutenant,"  said  Mrs.  Bart- 


204  ON  TO  PEKIN 

lett,  as  she  shook  him  by  the  hand.  "  You  said  you 
would  do  what  you  could  for  us,  and  now  I  wish  you 
to  do  me  a  favor." 

"  Anything  I  can  do,  I'll  do  willingly,"  was  Gil- 
bert's prompt  reply.     "  But  how  is  your  husband  ?  " 

At  once  the  smile  that  had  come  into  Mrs.  Bart- 
lett's  face  for  a  moment  faded  away.  "He  is  not 
doing  so  well,"  she  said  lowly.  "  He  does  not  seem 
to  be  able  to  get  back  to  his  right  mind.  And  the 
fire  has  set  him  back,  too." 

"What  does  the  doctor  say?" 

"  He  says  it  is  a  peculiar  case,  and  that  my  hus- 
band must  have  rest  as  much  as  medicine.  But  how 
can  he  have  rest  here  ?  "  And  the  woman  wrung  her 
hands. 

Jennie  Bartlett  now  appeared,  and  also  shook 
hands.  She  said  her  father  had  heard  Gilbert's 
voice,  and  wished  the  young  officer  to  come  to 
him. 

"  Be  careful  of  what  you  say  to  him,"  whispered 
Mrs.  Bartlett.  "He  is  easily  excited,  and  excite- 
ment is  the  worst  possible  tiling  for  him." 

"I  will  be  careful,"  answered  Gilbert,  and  fol- 
lowed her  into  the  sick-chamber.     He  found  Amos 


THE  BOMBARDMENT   OF   TIEN-TSIN  205 

Bartlett  lying  on  a  wide  bed  in  the  centre  of  the 
room,  and  the  Chinese  servant  was  fanning  him. 
The  sufferer  looked  years  older  than  when  Gilbert 
had  seen  him  before. 

"So  it  is  you,  Pennington?"  said  Amos  Bartlett, 
in  a  strangely  unnatural  voice.  "  I  am  glad  to  see 
you.  I  have  been  wanting  to  talk  over  that  Import- 
ing Company's  affair  with  you.  We  have  millions 
at  stake,  and —  " 

"  Amos,  please  do  not  speak  of  that  now,"  inter- 
posed Mrs.  Bartlett,  soothingly.  "I  am  sure  Lieu- 
tenant Pennington  will  wait  until  you  are  better." 

"  Yes ;  but,  Viola,  Ramsey  Polk  is  a  black-hearted 
swindler.  He  would  ruin  us  all,  sweep  away  our 
millions,  and  leave  us  beggars.  And  the  fire,  tool 
We  shall  be  penniless,  starving  in  the  streets !  Pen- 
nington can  save  us.  I  have  thought  it  all  over. 
He  must  fight  a  duel  with  Polk ;  and,  being  a  sol- 
dier, he  can  easily  run  his  man  through.  And  then 
—  ah,  then  we  will  be  saved !  Is  it  not  an  easy 
plan,  Pennington  ? "  And  the  sufferer  turned  his 
white  and  haggard  face  to  the  young  Southerner. 

Gilbert  started,  for  he  had  not  anticipated  such 
a  turn  of  affairs.     Clearly,  Amos  Bartlett  was  out  of 


206  ON   TO   PEKIN 

his  head,  perhaps  on  the  verge  of  insanity.  What 
should  he  do  ?  He  looked  at  the  sorrowful  faces  of 
the  wife  and  the  daughter,  and  that  decided  him. 

"  Mr.  Bartlett,  everything  is  all  right,"  he  said,  as 
he  took  the  sick  man's  hand  and  held  it.  "  Ramsey 
Polk  will  be  brought  to  justice  without  my  staining 
my  hands  with  his  blood.  He  cannot  touch  what 
belongs  to  you,  and  what  is  coming  to  me  will  soon 
be  in  my  possession.  So  you  can  afford  to  take  it 
easy,  and  not  bother  your  head  about  these  matters." 

At  these  words  Amos  Bartlett  stared  again  at 
Gilbert.  Then  his  eyes  fell.  "  You  are  sure  of  this  ? 
Sure  he  cannot  make  me  a  beggar  ?  "  he  muttered. 

"  Yes,  I  am  sure." 

"  And  that  fire  ?  The  warehouse  was  full  of  valu- 
able tea.  They  will  not  let  me  g-et  up  to  see  how 
much  damage  was  done." 

"  The  main  warehouse  was  not  touched,  so  your 
loss  will  not  be  heavy.  Just  take  it  easy  for  a  week 
or  so,  and  everything  will  straighten  itself  out.  I 
have  got  Polk  where  I  want  him,  and  I  know  what  I 
am  doing." 

"Thank  you,  Pennington.  You  are  a  wonderful 
young  man.    And  we  shall  not  be  beggars !     I  am  so 


THE   BOMBARDMENT    OF    TIEN-TSEST  207 

thankful,  for  the  sake  of  my  wife  and  Jennie !  "  And 
here  the  sufferer  fell  back  exhausted,  closed  his  eyes, 
and  went  off  into  a  doze. 

Mrs.  Bartlett  motioned  Gilbert  out  of  the  room ; 
and  he  followed  her,  on  tiptoes.  "Is  it  not  awful?" 
she  burst  out,  when  the  door  was  closed  behind  them. 
«  What  shall  I  do  ?     What  can  I  do  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  of  anything,  excepting  to  keep  him 
quiet.     Has  he  been  this  way  long  ?  " 

"  Ever  since  the  fire.  Every  shot  near  the  house 
seems  to  affect  him." 

"Then  he  ought  to  be  removed  from  Tien-Tsin." 

"But  would  that  be  safe?  I  understand  every 
boat  coming  or  going  on  the  river  is  under  fire." 

"  That  is  true.  But  I  think  this  bombardment 
will  soon  come  to  an  end.  More  of  our  troops  are 
arriving,  and  we  will  soon  make  an  attack  on  the 
native  city  in  force.  Once  we  have  cleaned  out  that 
section,  I  think  the  whole  Chinese  army  will  retreat 
toward  Pekin." 

"  I  trust  the  relief  comes  soon,"  put  in  Jennie. 
"  This  cannon-firing  day  after  day  is  enough  to  drive 
one  mad!  And  to  have  poor  papa  down  sick — " 
Her  throat  choked  up,  and  she  could  not  go  on. 


208  ON   TO   PEKIN 

Gilbert  was  affected,  but  did  not  dare  to  show  it. 
"  I  am  sorry.  I  will  do  what  I  can  for  you,"  he 
murmured,  and  gave  her  a  look  which  meant  a  good 
deal.  Then  he  turned  to  the  mother.  "  What  favor 
did  you  wish  of  me?  " 

"I  wanted  you  to  ask  at  the  consulate  for  a 
marine  or  two  to  guard  the  warehouse.  Ever  since 
the  fire  the  looters  have  been  out  in  force,  and  I  am 
afraid  that  what  was  not  burned  will  be  stolen." 

"  I  will  do  what  I  can  in  the  matter.  And  is  that 
all?" 

"  I  wished  to  find  out  about  getting  to  Taku.  If 
the  bombardment  grows  worse,  we  cannot  remain 
here." 

"  Would  you  care  to  remove  to  Gordon  Hall?  " 

"  If  my  husband  was  not  sick,  I  would  go.  But 
that  would  be  no  place  for  him;  and  the  hospital 
would  be  still  worse.  If  we  could  get  him  down  the 
river  in  secret,  that  would  be  best  of  all." 

"  Then  I  will  find  out  for  you  when  the  next  large 
boat  goes  down  to  Taku,  and  what  the  chances  will 
be  of  getting  through  without  harm." 

"  If  you  will  do  that,  lieutenant,  I  shall  be  very 
glad,"  said  Mrs.  Bartlett.     And  then  she  added  in  a 


THE   BOMBARDMENT   OF   TIEN-TSIN  209 

lower  voice,  "I  am  sorry  that  you,  too,  are  disap- 
pointed." 

"  How  do  you  know  I  am  disappointed  ?  " 

"  You  were  in  hopes  that  my  husband  was  better, 
and  could  give  you  more  information  about  Ramsey 
Polk.     Is  that  not  so  ?  " 

"To  tell  the  truth,  it  is.  But — well,  we  will 
drop  that  now,  and  hope  everything  comes  out  right 
in  the  end." 

The  Bartletts  wished  Gilbert  to  wait  and  have 
some  refreshments ;  but  his  time  was  limited,  and  he 
soon  took  his  departure.  As  he  hurried  back  to 
camp,  he  fell  into  a  brown  study. 

"Matters  don't  look  as  bright  as  they  did,"  he 
soliloquized.  "Even  if  Mr.  Bartlett  gets  well  physi- 
cally, his  mind  may  be  affected ;  and  in  that  case  his 
evidence  in  my  favor  won't  count.  And,  if  he  gets 
down  to  Taku  and  Nuggy  Polk  finds  him,  that  rascal 
will  probably  do  all  he  can  to  worry  the  poor  man  to 
death." 


CHAPTER  XXI 

CHARGING  UPON  THE  NATIVE  QUARTER 

"We  are  out  for  a  fight  to-day,  lieutenant,  and  a 
hot  one,  if  I  know  anything  about  it." 

It  was  Captain  Banner  who  spoke,  on  the  day 
following  Gilbert's  visit  to  the  Bartletts.  The 
young  lieutenant  had  succeeded  in  getting  a  guard 
of  one  for  the  tea  warehouse,  but  had  been  unable  to 
learn  anything  concerning  the  boats  on  the  Pei-Ho. 
Troops  were  coming  in  rapidly;  and  shipping  ar- 
rangements were,  consequently,  much  confused. 

"  All  right.  I  am  ready  for  the  biggest  engagement 
of  the  campaign,"  laughed  Gilbert. 

"  An'  dot  vos  me,"  put  in  Carl  Stummer.  "  I  ton't 
vont  to  got  rusty  on  dot  bicket  line  no  more." 

The  whole  company  were  hard  at  work  cleaning  up 
their  uniforms  and  weapons,  for  the  outward  move- 
ment was  to  begin  promptly  at  noon.  Soldiers  were 
everywhere  in  evidence.  The  Russians  and  Germans 
were  encamped  between   the    Chinese  city  and  the 

210 


CHARGING   UPON   THE   NATIVE   QUARTER      211 

river;  while  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  native  quar- 
ter were  the  French,  English,  Japanese,  and  Ameri- 
can, in  the  order  named. 

The  opening  movement  was  made  by  the  Russians, 
and  some  Germans,  who  swung  to  the  northward  to 
take  the  river  forts  and  prevent,  if  possible,  any 
Celestial  troops  from  coming  across  the  Pei-Ho  to 
re-enforce  those  in  the  native  city. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Japanese  commander,  Gen- 
eral Fukushina,  started  for  the  moat  before  the  great 
south  gate  of  the  inner  city.  All  the  cannon  in 
that  vicinity  were  to  clear  the  way  for  the  Japanese, 
who  were  then  to  rush  in,  and  blow  up  the  gate 
with  dynamite,  so  that  the  allied  infantry  might 
enter. 

The  various  movements  were  well  planned,  but 
hard  to  execute;  for  all  the  Allies  communicated 
with  each  other  only  with  the  greatest  difficulty. 
The  Russians  reached  the  first  forts  with  ease ;  but 
then  the  fire  of  the  other  forts  was  turned  upon 
them,  also  a  fire  from  across  the  Pei-Ho,  and  they 
lost  heavily. 

Meanwhile  the  British  and  Japanese  cannon-fire 
was    directed  toward    the    great    south  gate;    and 


212  ON   TO   PEKIN 

the  Japanese  rushed  forward,  followed  by  the 
English  troops,  with  the  American  marines  on 
the  extreme  left.  The  Ninth  United  States  In- 
fantry were  ordered  to  get  in  further  down  the 
road,  which  meant  in  an  open  space  not  far  from 
the  mud  wall. 

As  the  Allies  neared  the  south  gate,  they  found 
that  the  bridge  had  been  destroyed,  and  the  fields 
flooded  with  water.  On  they  went,  however,  through 
the  liquid  mud,  almost  up  to  the  great  gate.  But 
the  aim  of  the  Chinese  was  deadly,  and  scores  of 
soldiers  dropped  in  a  very  few  minutes.  The  Allies 
could  not  keep  the  ground  they  had  gained,  and  fell 
back  to  the  intrenchments  which  had  first  given 
them  shelter. 

The  sun  was  blazing  down  hotly ;  and,  when  that 
first  rush  was  over,  Gilbert  was  almost  ready  to  drop 
with  exhaustion.  But  there  was  no  rest  for  anybody, 
for  the  various  commanders  realized  that  it  was  "  now 
or  never  " ;  for,  if  the  native  city  was  not  taken,  the 
Chinese  troops  on  the  western  plain  would  pour  in  on 
them,  and  they  would  be  cut  off  from  all  help. 

Colonel  Liscum  of  the  Ninth  United  States  In- 
fantry was  everywhere  along  the  line,  cheering  and 


CHARGING   UPON   THE    NATIVE   QUARTER      213 

encouraging  his  men.  "  We  must  win  out,"  he  is  re- 
ported to  have  said.  "  They  cannot  stand  up  against 
us  much  longer." 

The  ground  was  very  uncertain,  and  the  whistling 
of  the  bullets  incessant.  The  Americans  were  still 
in  full  view  of  the  enemy,  and  men  were  dropping  on 
every  side.  Some  distance  from  the  mud  wall  were 
a  number  of  native  houses ;  and  from  these  came  a 
galling  cross-fire,  which  presently  laid,  the  color- 
bearer  low. 

"  The  flag  is  down ! "  was  the  cry  from  several 
throats;  but,  in  a  moment,  Colonel  Liscum  ran  for- 
ward and  picked  it  up.  Flag  in  hand,  he  started  to 
look  for  a  suitable  ford  over  the  canal  which  ran 
through  the  marshland. 

"  Better  get  down,  or  they'll  hit  you ! "  shouted  one 
of  the  under  officers. 

"I  guess  not,"  was  the  brave  colonel's  answer; 
and  at  that  instant  a  Chinese  bullet  struck  him  in 
the  abdomen. 

"  Are  you  hit  ? "  asked  an  officer,  who  saw  him 
stagger  back. 

"I've  got  it,"  was  the  feeble  reply;  and  then 
Colonel  Liscum  fell,  to  rise  no  more.     A  score  of 


214  ON   TO   PEKIN 

soldiers  rushed  to  his  aid.  But  nothing  could  be 
done  for  the  sufferer ;  and  with  these  words,  "  Don't 
retreat,  boys.  Keep  on  firing,"  he  breathed  his 
last. 

Several  other  officers  were  also  shot  down  and 
many  wounded,  while  the  dead  privates  lay  every- 
where. Yet  the  battle  waged  on,  until  the  men 
became  almost  too  tired  to  move.  All  were  thirsting 
for  something  to  drink ;  but  the  only  water  at  hand 
was  that  of  the  marshes,  salty  and  filled  with  the 
corpses  of  the  slain.  The  doctors  could  not  attend 
to  the  wounded,  for  they  were  shot  as  soon  as  they 
exposed  themselves. 

"This  is  certainly  the  worst  yet,"  was  Gilbert's 
comment  to  Captain  Banner.  The  young  lieutenant 
was  soaked  to  the  skin,  both  with  water  and  with 
perspiration ;  and  his  face  was  covered  with  the  grime 
of  battle.  He  had  been  in  two  advances,  and  there 
were  bullet-holes  through  his  coat-sleeve  and  his 
leggins.  "  I  never  saw  anything  like  it  in  the  Philip- 
pines." 

"  Keep  down,"  cried  the  captain.  "  We  can't 
afford  to  lose  any  more  officers.  Bruff  is  dead,  over 
yonder."    And  he  pointed  to  a  stretch  of  grass  where 


CHABGING  UPON  THE  NATIVE  QUARTER   215 

the  second  lieutenant  lay,  with  wide-open  eyes,  star- 
ing up  at  the  blazing  sky.  Poor  Bruff  had  been 
killed  in  the  first  advance. 

Slowly  the  afternoon  wore  away.  The  air  was 
heavy  with  smoke,  yet  the  battalion  to  which  Gilbert 
was  attached  did  not  dare  to  shift  its  position  for  fear 
of  being  cut  to  pieces.  In  the  mean  time  the  Japan- 
ese had  made  a  great  breach  in  the  south  wall  of  the 
native  city,  and  were  pouring  in,  unbeknown  to  any 
of  the  other  commands. 

"We  are  hemmed  in,"  said  Captain  Banner. 
"  Unless  we  get  out  under  cover  of  night,  it  will  go 
hard  with  us." 

Gilbert  did  not  answer,  for  he  was  tying  up  a  flesh 
wound  in  Dan  Casey's  arm.  The  brave  Irishman 
was  suffering  intense  pain,  and  the  young  lieutenant 
pitied  him  from  the  bottom  of  his  heart. 

As  the  afternoon  wore  on,  the  fire  of  the  Chinese 
became  hotter;  for  they  feared  a  night  attack,  and 
wished  to  make  the  Allies  retreat  before  that  time 
should  come.  The  native  city  was  on  fire  in  half  a 
dozen  places,  and  inside  it  was  as  if  pandemonium 
had  broken  loose. 

At  last  night  settled  down,  and  then  Gilbert's  bat- 


216  ON   TO   PEKIN 

talion  began  slowly  to  shift  its  position.  The  loss  of 
Colonel  Liscum  had  cast  a  gloom  over  all  the  Ameri- 
cans. He  had  been  a  sturdy  fighter,  and  beloved  by 
all  who  knew  him. 

The  situation  was  reported  to  General  Dorward, 
and  an  effort  was  made  to  combine  the  American 
forces  and  those  fighting  under  the  Union  Jack.  By 
midnight  this  juncture  was  made ;  and  then  Ameri- 
cans, English,  French,  and  Germans  pressed  for  the 
great  south  gate,  and,  following  the  Japanese,  entered 
the  native  city  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  July 
14,  1900.  This  was  the  first  substantial  victory  for 
the  American,  in  conjunction  with  other  flags,  on 
Chinese  soil. 

On  entering  the  native  town,  a  scene  was  presented 
which  baffles  description.  The  shots  and  shells  from 
the  Allies  had  done  frightful  execution;  and  dead 
Chinese  lay  at  every  hand,  in  some  places  two  and 
three  deep.  Houses  were  smashed  to  kindling  wood, 
and  the  very  streets  showed  holes  four  and  five  feet 
deep.  In  one  place  a  powder  magazine  had  gone  up, 
leaving  nothing  behind  it  but  a  burnt  and  blackened 
space  with  a  fringe  of  battered  buildings  and  dis- 
membered human  victims. 


CHARGING   TJPON   THE   NATIVE   QUARTER      217 

The  sights  made  Gilbert  sick  at  heart ;  and  he  was 
glad  enough  to  go  back  to  the  wall  with  his  com- 
mand and  stand  such  guard  as  was  necessary,  which 
was  not  saying  much,  since  all  of  the  Chinese  were 
fleeing  for  their  lives.  I  have  said  all.  That  is  not 
so,  strictly  speaking;  for  some  few  remained,  pro- 
claiming themselves  Christians  and  friends,  while  a 
considerable  number  of  others  committed  suicide. 
To  commit  suicide  in  the  Chinese  army  is  not  un- 
common. For  the  Celestial  soldier  believes  that,  if 
he  is  captured,  he  will  be  subjected  to  some  awful 
torture ;  and  he,  consequently,  much  prefers  to  end 
his  own  life. 

"With  one-half  of  Company  A,  Gilbert  found  him- 
self the  next  day  half  a  mile  from  the  great  south 
gate,  where  the  American  flag  was  flying  at  half- 
mast,  out  of  respect  for  the  dead  colonel  of  the  Ninth 
Infantry.  Gilbert's  duty  was  to  keep  watch  over 
several  squares  of  the  city,  for  the  looters  were  now 
out  in  force.  Close  at  hand  was  a  Chinese  joss 
house,  filled  with  idols  of  iron,  silver,  and  gold. 
Over  this  an  elderly  Buddhist  priest  was  presiding, 
fearful  that  some  of  the  soldiers  would  carry  off  the 
idols.     Those  of  the  war  god  of  the  Chinese  were 


218  ON    TO   PEKIN 

already  missing,  the  Celestial  troops  having  carried 
them  off  themselves. 

Gilbert  was  eating  his  dinner  when  there  came  to 
him  a  message  from  the  Buddhist  priest,  asking  him 
to  come  to  the  joss  house  at  once,  and  alone. 

"What  does  the  priest  want  of  me?"  asked  the 
young  lieutenant,  curiously. 

"  He  wants  advice,"  was  the  slow  answer.  "  He 
is  much  troubled,  and  wishes  advice  in  secret." 

Thinking  he  would  be  safe  with  a  man  of  such 
standing  as  a  Buddhist  priest,  Gilbert  agreed  to 
accompany  the  messenger,  who  at  once  led  the  way 
to  a  lane  behind  the  joss  house.  At  the  foot  of  the 
lane  was  a  small  iron  door  entering  into  the  house  of 
worship.  This  was  ajar,  and  inside  of  an  entry  Gil- 
bert saw  some  joss  sticks  burning  over  a  round  table 
set  with  a  platter  of  meat  and  another  of  rice. 

"You  will  go  inside,  and  the  good  Li  Gow  will 
speedily  join  you,"  said  the  messenger,  and  pointed 
the  way.  With  some  hesitation,  Gilbert  pushed  back 
the  iron  door,  and  entered  the  apartment  where  the 
joss  sticks  were  blazing. 

On  the  instant  the  door  was  banged  shut  and 
bolted  from  the  outside.     The  sudden  rush  of   air 


CHARGING   UPON  THE  NATIVE  QUABTEB      219 

caused  the  joss  sticks  to  go  out,  leaving  the  young 
lieutenant  in  utter  darkness.  A  shrill,  mocking 
laugh  reached  his  ears ;  and  then  all  became  as  silent 
as  a  tomb. 


CHAPTER  XXTT 

AN  ADVENTURE  IN  A  JOSS  HOUSE 

"  Trapped,  as  sure  as  fate ! " 

Such  were  the  words  which  came  to  Gilbert's  lips 
as  he  found  himself  in  darkness,  with  the  heavy  door 
of  the  joss  house  locked  behind  him.  He  felt  that 
he  had  been  badly  duped,  and  that  his  life  was  in 
grave  peril. 

His  first  movement  was  to  feel  for  his  pistol, 
which  so  far  had  rested  in  his  belt.  Drawing  the 
weapon,  he  cocked  it,  and  then  backed  up  against  the 
stout  door,  feeling  that  an  attack  could  not  come 
from  that  direction  so  long  as  the  iron  barrier  was 
bolted. 

He  strained  his  ears,  but  all  remained  silent  in  the 
house  of  idol  worship.  From  a  distance  came  the 
hum  of  voices;  for  the  sacking  of  Tien-Tsin  still 
continued,  although  those  in  authority  were  now 
making  some  efforts  to  stop  it.  Less  than  a  block 
from  the  joss  house  was  a  pawnbroker's  establish- 

220 


AN   ADVENTURE  IN   A  JOSS   HOUSE  221 

ment ;  and  into  this  soldiers  and  Chinese  beggars  had 
broken,  and  were  wrangling  over  the  possession  of 
everything  brought  to  light. 

The  gummy  joss  sticks  gave  forth  a  strong  odor, 
which  in  the  confined  space  was  sickening;  and 
presently  Gilbert  began  to  cough.  The  sound  echoed 
dismally  throughout  the  joss  house  proper,  showing 
that  the  edifice  was  almost  empty. 

"  I  suppose  that  old  Buddhist  is  somewhere  about," 
thought  the  young  lieutenant.  "  I'll  venture  to  say 
he's  none  too  good  to  run  me  through  with  a  sword, 
if  he  gets  the  chance." 

He  began  to  speculate  upon  how  to  move,  feeling 
that  he  could  not  remain  in  the  narrow  entry  forever, 
when  a  faint  sound  reached  his  ears,  as  of  somebody 
approaching  in  bare  feet.  He  immediately  raised 
his  pistol,  and  tried  harder  than  ever  to  pierce  the 
gloom  which  confronted  him.  But  the  darkness 
was  absolute,  for  the  windows  of  the  house  of  wor- 
ship had  been  boarded  up  just  before  the  fall  of 
the  city. 

The  footsteps  came  closer  and  closer,  until  Gilbert 
judged  that  the  on-comer  was  less  than  ten  feet  away. 
Then  he  heard  the  faint  swish  of  a  robe,  as  it  brushed 


222  ON   TO   PEK1N 

one  end  of  the  table  upon  which  the  meal  to  the 
dead  was  spread. 

"  Stop,  or  I'll  fire  !  "  cried  Gilbert,  in  a  determined 
voice.  Instantly  the  sounds  ceased  directly  in  front 
of  him.  But  from  a  distance  came  a  low  voice,  ask- 
ing some  question  in  Chinese.  What  this  was, 
Gilbert  did  not  know ;  nor  did  he  hear  any  answer 
to  it. 

The  young  lieutenant  felt  that  he  was  now  face  to 
face  with  a  deadly  enemy,  and  it  must  be  confessed 
that  the  cold  perspiration  stood  out  on  his  forehead. 
It  is  one  thing  to  face  an  enemy  in  the  open :  it  is 
quite  another  to  face  the  same  enemy  in  the  dark. 
Gilbert  had  heard  of  bad  Western  men  sometimes 
fighting  a  duel  to  the  death  with  knives  in  a  pitch- 
dark  room,  and  he  felt  now  that  he  wanted  nothing 
to  do  with  anything  so  terrible. 

Suddenly  he  heard  a  slight  noise  close  to  his 
left  side.  He  was  about  to  turn  in  the  direction, 
when  several  grains  of  rice  fell  upon  his  extended 
hand. 

He  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  this.  Had  the 
rice  been  thrown  by  some  one  ?  and,  if  so,  for  what 
purpose?     He  knew  that  to  touch  the  food  of   the 


AN   ADVENTURE   IN   A  JOSS   HOUSE  223 

dead  is  considered  by  many  Chinamen  a  bad  thing 
to  do. 

Soon,  however,  he  concluded  that  the  rice  had 
been  thrown  merely  to  detract  his  attention  from  the 
person  in  front  of  him.  The  sounds  from  those  bare 
feet  reached  him  again,  but  now  they  were  going 
away  instead  of  approaching. 

The  enemy  was  perhaps  calculating  to  attack  him 
in  another  way,  and  he  could  not  help  but  wonder 
what  the  next  movement  would  be.  Bitterly  he  re- 
gretted having  come  to  the  spot  without  a  companion 
or  two.  "  If  I  am  killed  in  here,  nobody  will  ever 
know  what  became  of  me,"  he  reasoned,  soberly. 

His  nerves  were  at  the  topmost  tension,  and  his 
ears  strained  as  never  before.  Consequently,  when 
there  came  a  faint  noise  from  under  the  table  before 
him,  he  noted  it  at  once,  although  it  was  so  slight 
that  an  ordinary  ear  would  never  have  detected  it. 

Gilbert  now  remained  silent.  He  had  given  the 
enemy  fair  warning ;  and  he  was  resolved  from  now 
on  to  "  shoot  first  and  talk  afterward."  He  was  in 
the  enemy's  territory,  and  he  must  consider  every 
stranger  an  enemy  until  he  proved  himself  a  friend. 

The  table  was  moving,  and  so  was  a  portion  of  the 


224  ON   TO   PEKIN 

floor.  At  first  the  table  was  shifted  but  the  fraction 
of  an  inch.  Then  of  a  sudden  it  appeared  to  drop 
into  space,  as  a  trap-door  opened  to  let  it  down.  The 
disappearance  of  the  feast  table  is  a  common  thing  in 
many  Chinese  houses  of  worship.  So  to  have  this 
trap-door  there  was  nothing  out  of  the  ordinary. 

Had  Gilbert  been  leaning  on  the  table,  as  his 
unseen  enemy  had  likely  thought  was  the  case,  he 
must  have  been  pitched  headlong  into  the  hole.  But, 
as  the  table  moved,  the  young  lieutenant  leaped  back, 
and  then  to  one  side.  So  he  still  remained  on  the 
flooring  above,  although  standing  on  a  space  scarcely 
a  foot  in  width. 

As  the  table  shot  downward,  Gilbert  glanced  into 
the  hole,  and  by  a  faint  light  coming  from  a  blue 
lantern,  made  out  the  ghost-like  form  of  the  Buddhist 
priest  dressed  in  a  combination  of  yellow  and  black, 
and  carrying  in  one  hand  a  long,  curved  sword.  The 
face  was  not  a  crafty  one,  but,  on  the  contrary,  rather 
holy-looking;  and  this  look  kept  the  young  officer 
from  firing.  The  next  instant  the  trap-door  closed 
again,  and  all  became  as  dark  and  silent  as  before. 

The  look  on  the  Buddhist's  face  haunted  Gilbert, 
and   he  could   not  get  it  out  of   his  mind.     Why 


AN  ADVENTUKE  IN  A  JOSS  HOUSE  225 

should  such  a  man  wish  to  take  his  life  ?  Surely, 
nature  could  not  make  a  villain  with  such  a  coun- 
tenance as  that. 

"  He  must  be  a  religious  fanatic,  and  imagine  that 
the  sacrifice  of  my  life  is  necessary,"  he  thought. 
And  this  was  the  exact  truth.  The  old  priest  had 
been  attached  to  the  joss  house  for  sixty  years ;  and 
he  believed  that,  if  he  could  only  mark  the  walls  of 
the  edifice  with  the  blood  of  a  military  enemy  slain 
in  the  building,  before  the  idol  of  the  god  of  con- 
struction, the  building  would  be  saved, 

Gilbert  now  resolved  upon  a  bold  movement,  which 
was  none  other  than  to  feel  his  way  into  the  joss 
house  proper.  He  felt  that  his  position  in  the  entry 
was  known,  and  that  a  bullet  from  some  unknown 
source  might  finish  his  life  at  any  moment.  He  knew 
he  was  running  a  risk ;  but,  on  the  whole,  it  looked 
safer  to  move  than  to  remain  where  he  was.     • 

With  pistol  in  one  hand  and  sword  in  the  other, 
Gilbert  passed  from  the  entry  to  a  wide  archway, 
leading  to  a  broad  stone  flooring.  Here  he  came 
upon  a  series  of  seven  steps,  and  his  arm  touched 
a  large  stone  idol.  There  was  something  on  the 
floor  in  front  of  the  idol;  and,  as  his  foot  pressed 


226  ON   TO   PEKIN 

upon  this,  a  tiny  bell  at  a  distance  commenced  to 
ring. 

The  ringing  of  the  bell  was  followed  by  a  cry  of 
alarm,  and  then  a  yell  of  rage.  He  heard  the  foot- 
steps of  the  old  Buddhist  priest  approaching. 

"  Let  lem  alone,  dog  I "  was  the  cry,  in  very  bad 
English.  "  Do  not  tlouch  lem,  dog !  "  The  cries  con- 
tinued, and  the  priest  came  closer.  But,  instead  of 
falling  directly  upon  Gilbert,  he  came  up  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  idol.  He  tried  to  reach  the  young 
lieutenant  from  behind,  and  his  curved  sword  nipped 
Gilbert  in  the  back. 

Without  hesitation  the  young  lieutenant  let  drive 
with  his  pistol.  The  report  and  the  echo  were  fol- 
lowed by  the  f  ailing  of  a  piece  of  the  idol  to  the  floor, 
and  a  mad  yell  from  the  priest,  who  now  flung  him- 
self bodily  upon  Gilbert.  Sword  met  sword  in  the 
darkness ;  and  then  the  pair  clinched  and  rolled  over, 
down  the  steps  to  a  cleared  space  below.  The  priest 
was  a  heavy  man,  fully  six  feet  tall;  and  it  was  he 
who  came  down  on  top. 

"Get  off!"  gasped  Gilbert.  "Get  off,  or  I  will 
fire !  "  And  he  brought  around  his  pistol ;  but,  as  it 
was  discharged,  his  wrist  was  twisted  around,  and 


AN  ADVENTURE   IN   A  JOSS   HOUSE  227 

the  bullet  crashed  into  the  roof  far  above,  bringing 
down  dust  and  splinters  upon  their  heads. 

The  priest  continued  to  call  out ;  and  soon  a  light 
appeared,  and  with  it  two  men,  one  being  the  mes- 
senger who  had  come  for  Gilbert.  Both  were 
armed  with  daggers  of  the  Malay  pattern.  In  a  trice 
Gilbert  had  the  pair  at  his  side,  both  trying  to  drag 
him  away,  and  thus  save  the  old  priest  from  harm. 

"  Capture  him  alive !  Do  not  kill  him ! "  screamed 
the  Buddhist  priest,  in  Chinese.  "  I  must  have  him 
for  a  sacrifice." 

"  We  will  do  our  best,"  answered  one  of  his  fol- 
lowers.    "  But  he  looks  like  a  mighty  fighter." 

"So  much  the  better.  It  is  what  our  good  god 
needs,"  returned  the  old  Buddhist. 

He  leaped  up,  and  reached  for  the  lantern,  to  place 
it  where  it  would  be  more  to  his  followers'  advantage. 
Meanwhile  the  two  new-comers  were  hauling  away 
at  Gilbert,  one  at  one  arm  and  the  other  at  the 
other. 

Gilbert  could  not  use  his  sword,  but  the  pistol  was 
available ;  and,  watching  his  opportunity,  he  blazed 
away,  and  brought  one  of  the  men  down  with  a 
serious   wound  in  the   abdomen.     Then  he  turned 


228  ON   TO   PEKIN 

upon  the  second  fellow,  and  fired  once  more.  But 
the  man  dropped  his  hold  and  fell  flat,  and  the  bullet 
passed  over  his  head. 

The  second  shot  had  scarcely  left  the  pistol  when 
Gilbert  struggled  to  his  feet.  The  lantern  was  a 
fairly  bright  one ;  and  by  its  rays  he  made  out  a  door 
at  the  far  end  of  the  joss  house,  and  started  to  run 
for  it. 

"Stop  himl"  roared  the  priest,  in  Chinese;  and 
then,  as  he  saw  Gilbert  nearing  the  door,  he  leaped 
toward  an  idol  standing  to  one  side  of  the  building. 
Behind  the  idol  was  a  knob,  attached  to  a  long  iron 
chain.  The  Buddhist  waited  until  Gilbert  had 
reached  a  certain  spot  in  the  floor,  then  he  pulled 
upon  the  huge  knob  with  all  his  might. 

A  scraping  and  a  creaking  followed ;  and,  of  a 
sudden,  the  floor  beneath  the  young  lieutenant's  feet 
gave  way,  and  he  shot  down  into  space.  He  tried 
to  save  himself,  but  his  descent  was  too  sudden.  He 
struck  upon  a  muddy  surface,  and  his  head  came  into 
contact  with  a  brick  wall.  Then,  for  the  time  being, 
he  knew  no  more. 


CHAPTER  XXm 
gilbert's  naeeow  escape 

When  Gilbert  regained  his  senses,  he  found  him- 
self bound  hands  and  feet,  and  lying  upon  a  pallet  of 
straw.  The  place  was  a  stone  cell,  and  in  a  niche 
of  the  wall  a  dim  lantern  was  burning. 

He  wondered  how  he  had  come  there,  and  at  last 
concluded  that  the  old  priest  had  had  him  made  a 
prisoner  and  carried  hither.  His  head  hurt  him  not  a 
little,  and  there  was  a  painful  sore  on  his  left  elbow. 

"  I  suppose  I  am  worse  off  than  I  was  before,"  was 
his  dismal  conclusion.  "That  priest  will  never  let 
me  go,  now  that  I  have  shot  one  of  his  followers." 

As  weak  as  he  was,  he  endeavored  to  release  him- 
self from  his  bonds ;  but  the  effort  proved  a  failure. 
His  captors  had  done  their  work  well,  and  he  merely 
succeeded  in  cutting  his  wrists  and  ankles  until  the 
blood  came. 

His  movements  created  some  noise ;  and  presently 
a  door  to  the  cell  opened,  and  the  man  who  had  tackled 

229 


230  ON   TO  PEKIN 

him  and  who  had  escaped  the  second  shot  came  in, 
He  grinned  savagely  when  he  saw  that  Gilbert's  eyes 
were  open,  and  addressed  the  prisoner  in  Chinese. 

Not  understanding  a  word,  Gilbert  made  no  reply, 
at  which  the  Boxer  —  for  such  the  fellow  was  —  gave 
a  growl,  and  kicked  the  prostrate  officer  in  the  side. 

"  You're  a  cheerful  brute ! "  gasped  Gilbert,  as 
soon  as  he  could  get  back  the  wind  of  which  he  had 
been  deprived.  "I  thought  some  of  our  soldiers 
were  unnecessarily  cruel ;  but  I  reckon  you  fellows 
deserve  all  you  are  getting,  and  more." 

The  Boxer  did  not  understand,  but  he  guessed  that 
the  young  lieutenant  was  finding  fault ;  and  he  kicked 
Gilbert  again.  Then,  with  another  growl,  he  took 
down  the  lantern  and  went  out,  leaving  bis  prisoner 
in  darkness. 

If  the  young  lieutenant  had  felt  downhearted 
before,  be  was  now  even  more  discouraged.  He  was 
alone,  and  it  was  doubtful  if  any  but  his  enemies 
were  aware  of  his  situation. 

"  If  the  boys  knew  of  this,  they  would  come  to  the 
rescue,"  he  reasoned.  "  But  they  don't  know,  and  it's 
likely  they  won't  find  out.  For  once  I  have  put  my 
head  into  the  lion's  mouth." 


The  Boxer  kicked  the  prostrate  officer  in  the  side.  —  Page  230. 


gilbekt's  narrow  escape  231 

Gilbert  wondered  how  long  lie  had  been  uncon 
scious,  but  had  no  means  of  finding  out.  His 
weapons  were  gone,  also  the  money  he  had  had  in 
his  pocket.  The  latter  had  been  taken  by  the  priest's 
follower,  not  by  the  Buddhist  himself. 

An  hour  went  by,  and  the  young  lieutenant  realized 
that  he  was  both  hungry  and  thirsty.  Then  came  a 
noise  which  was  far  from  welcome. 

A  number  of  rats  had  discovered  his  presence,  and 
they  came  out  of  a  hole  in  the  wall  to  sniff  at  his 
hands  and  legs.  He  hissed  them  off,  and  they 
scampered  out  of  sight.  But  soon  they  came  back, 
re-enforced  by  others ;  and,  when  he  hissed  again,  they 
merely  retreated  to  the  side  of  the  cell,  evidently 
realizing  that  he  could  not  come  after  them.  At  last 
one  old  rat,  probably  the  father  of  the  colony,  ad- 
vanced, and  proceeded  to  sample  the  flesh  of  one  of 
Gilbert's  lower  limbs. 

The  yell  the  young  lieutenant  gave  echoed  and 
re-echoed  throughout  the  cell;  and  for  the  minute 
every  rat  disappeared,  but  only  for  the  minute. 
Then  they  came  back,  in  greater  numbers  than  ever, 
and  ran  all  over  Gilbert's  body. 

Try  his  best,  the  young  officer  could  not  fight  off 


232  ON   TO   PEKIN" 

the  rodents ;  and  he  was  just  beginning  to  think  that 
he  might  be  eaten  up  alive,  when  the  cell  door 
opened,  and  the  Buddhist  priest  appeared,  along 
with  his  follower.  The  pair  saw  at  once  the  cause 
of  the  disturbance,  and  quickly  chased  the  rats  out  of 
sight,  slaving  none  of  them;  for  to  the  Buddhists 
animal  life  is  sacred. 

The  rats  having  been  disposed  of,  a  short  talk  fol- 
lowed between  the  priest  and  his  man ;  and  then  the 
latter  caught  Gilbert  up  in  his  arms,  and  threw  the 
lieutenant  over  his  shoulder  as  if  he  were  a  bag 
of  flour.  Leaving  the  cell,  they  ascended  a  long 
flight  of  stone  steps,  and  soon  reached  the  floor  of  the 
joss  house. 

The  scene  that  greeted  Gilbert  surprised  him 
greatly.  In  one  corner  of  the  gloomy  building 
was  a  large  idol,  having  one  arm  up  and  another 
down  and  three  eyes,  the  third  being  set  in  the 
middle  of  the  forehead.  In  front  of  this  idol  rested 
seven  burning  joss  sticks  and  three  platters  of  corn- 
meal,  all  in  a  semicircle.  In  the  centre  of  the  semi- 
circle rested  a  square  block  of  wood,  and  beside  this 
an  axe. 

The  edge  of  the  axe  and  the  top  of  the  block  were 


gilbert's  narrow  escape  233 

besmeared  with  what  looked  like  human  blood ;  and,  as 
he  gazed  at  these  implements  of  the  Chinese  execu- 
tioner's trade,  he  could  not  help  but  shiver.  At  this 
the  priest's  follower  laughed  softly ;  but,  turning,  the 
Buddhist  struck  the  man  on  the  mouth,  upon  which 
he  relapsed  into  immediate  silence. 

Reaching  the  block,  the  priest  motioned  his  helper 
to  put  Gilbert  down ;  and  at  the  same  time  the  holy 
man  began  a  low  chant,  which  at  the  opening  sounded 
like  a  hive  of  bees  when  about  to  swarm.  Gradu- 
ally, the  chanting  became  louder ;  and  the  priest  then 
walked  around  the  idol  a  dozen  times  or  more,  hitting 
it  in  various  places  and  pounding  his  forehead  and 
his  hips  repeatedly.  At  the  end  of  the  chant  he 
threw  himself  flat,  and  remained  in  this  position  for 
fully  five  minutes. 

The  whole  ceremony  was  so  curious  that  Gilbert 
would  have  been  deeply  interested  had  he  not  felt 
that  it  was  but  the  forerunner  of  some  attack  upon 
himself. 

On  rising,  the  Buddhist  priest  motioned  to  his 
helper  to  take  up  the  axe ;  and  he  himself  came  for- 
ward to  feel  if  the  edge  of  the  implement  was  sharp 
enough  for  the  work  at  hand.    Satisfied  on  this 


234  ON   TO  PEKIN 

point,  the  holy  man  caught  Gilbert  around  the  body, 
and  raised  him  to  his  feet. 

The  young  lieutenant  now  felt  that  he  must  either 
do  or  die,  and  he  resolved  to  put  up  the  best  fight 
possible.  "  I'd  rather  die  fighting  than  be  beheaded," 
he  muttered ;  and,  exerting  all  his  strength,  he  hit  the 
old  Buddhist  in  the  stomach  with  his  elbow,  and 
knocked  the  priest  flat. 

At  once  the  follower,  who  had  the  axe,  leaped 
forward;  and  for  the  moment  it  looked  as  if  Gil- 
bert would  be  slain  where  he  stood.  But,  as  the 
blade  descended,  the  young  Southerner  sprang  to 
one  side,  and  the  axe  struck  the  stone  flooring. 
At  the  same  moment  came  a  call  from  outside. 

"  Help  I  help ! "  cried  Gilbert,  at  the  top  of  his 
voice.     "  I  am  in  the  joss  house !     Help ! " 

"  Sto  ■ —  stop  him !  "  gasped  the  old  priest,  as  he 
sat  up,  out  of  wind.  "  Stop  him ! "  And  he  contin- 
ued to  call  out  in  Chinese. 

But  now  came  a  crash  on  one  of  the  windows  of 
the  joss  house,  followed  by  a  rapid  succession  of 
blows ;  and  two  of  the  boards  were  sent  flying  over 
one  of  the  idols.  Then  a  soldier  appeared  in  the 
opening.     A  gun  was  levelled,  and  a  report  followed. 


gilbert's  narrow  escape  235 

The  man  with  the  axe  dropped  the  weapon,  and  sank 
down,  fatally  shot  through  the  chest. 

"  Dan  Casey ! "  burst  out  Gilbert.  "  Quick,  cover 
the  priest ! " 

"Is  it  indade  you?"  came  from  Dan  Casey. 
"  Sure,  an'  phwat  were  the  haythins  up  to  now,  tell 
me  that?" 

"  They  were  going  to  behead  me !  The  priest  — 
quick,  Dan ! " 

Gilbert  broke  off  short;  for  the  Buddhist  had 
leaped  upon  him,  and  now  had  him  by  the  throat. 
The  turn  of  affairs  had  rendered  the  holy  man 
frantic ;  and  he  was  foaming  at  the  mouth,  while  his 
eyes  shone  like  twin  stars. 

The  lights  around  the  idol  lit  up  the  scene  well, 
and  Dan  Casey  did  not  hesitate  over  what  to  do. 
Again  his  rifle  came  up ;  and,  as  it  spoke  out,  the 
old  Buddhist  tottered  back,  shot  through  the  hip. 
Once  he  got  up  again,  but  Gilbert  easily  leaped 
from  his  reach.  Then  he  rolled  over  to  the  foot  of 
the  idol,  and  lay  still. 

By  this  time  Casey  was  coming  through  the  win- 
dow. Making  a  leap,  he  landed  on  the  shoulder  of 
the  nearest  idol,  and  from  there  reached  the  floor. 


236  ON   TO   PEKIN 

He  was  followed  by  two  other  soldiers  of  Gilbert's 
company,  and  all  three  ran  forward  to  their  com- 
mander's assistance. 

"  Oh,  how  thankful  I  am  that  you  have  come ! " 
murmured  Gilbert,  when  released  from  his  bonds. 
"  A  little  longer,  and  it  would  have  been  all  up  with 
me." 

"  Sure,  an'  we  have  been  huntin'  fer  ye  fer  the  best 
part  av  six  hours,"  answered  Dan  Casey.  "  How  in 
the  worruld  did  ye  git  here,  I  don't  know." 

"  I  received  a  message,  and  very  foolishly  came 
alone.  But  how  did  you  happen  to  come  to  the  joss 
house  ?  " 

"I  met  an  English  marine,  who  said  he  had  seen 
an  American  lieutenant  go  into  the  back  dure  wid 
one  av  thim  haythins;  an'  I  put  it  down  for  you. 
Are  any  more  of  the  Chinks  around?" 

"No.  There  were  three,  but  I  put  one  of  them 
out  of  the  fight  some  time  ago.  How  long  is  it  since 
I  left  our  headquarters  ?     I  have  lost  track  of  time." 

"  Ye  left  at  noon  yesterday.  It's  now  tin  o'clock 
in  the  marnin'." 

"Then  I  was  overcome  all  night  by  a  tumble  I 
took  through  a  trap-door.     Casey,  I  owe  you  a  good 


gilbert's  narrow  escape  237 

deal  for  this  —  and  you  other  men,  too,"  added  the 
young  Southerner. 

"  That's  all  right,  lieutenant,"  said  one  of  the  men. 
"We  are  glad  we  reached  you  as  we  did.  The 
troops  ought  to  take  possession  of  this  place  after 
this." 

"They  shall,  Netwood, —  and  keep  a  strict  guard 
for  underhanded  work,  too.  That  old  priest  —  Gra- 
cious !    What  is  he  up  to  now?  " 

Gilbert  took  a  step  forward,  and  so  did  the  others. 
Then  all  came  to  a  stop,  fascinated  by  the  scene  being 
enacted  before  them. 

Wounded  as  he  was,  the  old  Buddhist  had  struggled 
to  his  feet,  and  tottered  to  another  idol,  one  holding 
a  bird  and  a  dog  in  its  hand.  Before  this  idol  the 
priest  was  waving  his  hands,  and  chanting  in  the  same 
monotonous  tone  he  had  before  employed.  In  his 
right  fingers  he  clutched  a  dagger,  with  which  he  was 
making  circles  before  the  idol's  face. 

"  Looks  as  if  he  was  going  to  carve  the  idol  up," 
whispered  Netwood. 

"  Hush !  "  replied  Gilbert.  "  Look  at  him !  Isn't 
it  enough  to  make  one's  blood  run  cold?" 

"Hadn't  we  better  make  him  a  prisoner?  "  put  in 


238  ON   TO   PEKIN 

the  third  soldier  of  the  party.  "  He  may  become  very 
dangerous  when  he's  worked  up.     His  eyes  —  " 

The  soldier  stopped  short.  The  Buddhist  priest 
had  turned  to  look  at  the  Americans.  Now  he  made 
a  horrible  face, —  like  that  of  a  snarling  wolf, —  and 
spat  at  them.  Then,  turning  swiftly,  he  placed  his 
dagger  to  his  breast,  and,  looking  up  at  the  idol,  let 
himself  fall  upon  the  point  of  the  blade. 

"He  has  killed  himself!"  burst  out  Gilbert,  and 
leaped  forward,  followed  by  his  men.  But  he  was 
too  late.  When  they  turned  the  old  priest  over,  he 
was  stone-dead.  Rather  than  become  a  prisoner  of 
the  enemy,  he  had  taken  his  own  life. 

As  they  gathered  around  the  old  man,  they  noted 
that  the  wolf-like  expression  of  the  face  was  gone, 
and  something  like  a  smile  had  taken  its  place.  No- 
body could  speak  for  several  seconds,  and  Gilbert  felt 
a  curious  lump  rise  in  his  throat. 

"  He's  dead !  "  he  murmured  hoarsely.  "  He  wanted 
to  take  my  life,  but  I  don't  bear  him  any  grudge. 
He  thought  he  was  in  the  right,  and  he  lived  accord- 
ing to  his  light.     I  wish  this  war  was  over" 

And  just  then  every  man  who  heard  those  words 
wished  the  same. 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

NTTGGY  POLK'S   SET-BACK 

Laying  the  dead  body  of  the  Buddhist  priest  in 
the  court-yard  of  the  joss  house,  Gilbert  and  his  men 
covered  it  with  a  matting  and  some  loose  stones,  that 
the  dogs  might  not  get  at  it,  and  then  hurried  back 
to  the  headquarters  of  the  first  battalion. 

Both  Major  Morris  and  Captain  Banner  were  de- 
lighted to  see  the  young  lieutenant  back  safe  and 
sound,  and  all  were  eager  to  learn  the  particulars  of 
his  thrilling  experience. 

"You  have  had  a  narrow  escape,  Pennington," 
said  the  major.  "  You  must  be  more  careful  of  your- 
self in  the  future.  We  have  already  lost  officers 
enough." 

"  Rest  assured  I'll  be  more  careful,"  answered  Gil- 
bert.    "  I'll  venture  into  no  more  such  lions'  dens." 

It  had  been  reported  to  the  major  that  Gilbert 
had  gone  off  to  do  some  private  looting,  but  this  the 
commander  of  the  first  battalion  would  not  believe. 


240  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"He's  too  much  of  an  American  to  do  that,"  said 
the  major.  Looting  still  went  on  by  some  of  the 
foreign  troops ;  but  the  American  soldiers  were  kept 
in  constant  check,  and  two  men  who  would  not  obey 
the  rules  were  placed  under  arrest. 

For  several  days  after  the  adventure  at  the 
Chinese  house  of  worship,  Gilbert  was  kept  busy  at- 
tending to  his  duties  as  an  officer ;  and,  consequently, 
he  got  no  opportunity  to  call  upon  the  Bartletts. 
And  during  that  time  he  heard  nothing  as  to  how 
Amos  Bartlett  was  faring. 

The  days  to  follow  the  capture  of  Tien-Tsin  were, 
on  the  whole,  quiet;  for  the  Boxers  and  the  Chinese 
government  troops  had  fled  to  parts  unknown,  and 
the  Allies  were  as  yet  in  no  condition  to  hunt  them 
up.  The  cry  of  "  On  to  Pekin ! "  was  frequently 
heard ;  but  it  was  felt  by  all  that  the  troops  in  Tien- 
Tsin  must  be  re-enforced  before  a  proper  advance 
could  be  made. 

Troops,  however,  were  arriving  daily  at  Taku  and 
other  ports ;  and  the  repairs  to  the  railroad  between 
Tien-Tsin  and  Tongku  were  pushed  forward  with  all 
speed.  In  the  past  the  different  nationalities  had 
acted  largely  on  their  individual  responsibility.     It 


NFGGY   POLK'S   SET-BACK  241 

was  now  felt  that  all  must  act  in  concert,  or  a  further 
advance  into  the  enemy's  country  might  be  attended 
with  a  severe  set-back. 

During  the  days  spent  at  Tien-Tsin  came  news 
from  Pekin  which  was  both  cheering  and  alarming. 
It  vras  to  the  effect  that  so  far  all  of  the  ministers 
but  the  German  were  safe.  Several  of  the  legations 
had  been  burnt  down,  and  the  various  foreigners 
in  Pekin  had  retreated  to  the  English  compound. 
They  were  being  bombarded  almost  daily  by  the 
Chinese;  and,  whereas  the  Boxers  had  started  the 
crusade  against  them,  they  were  now  being  besieged 
by  the  government  troops  as  well.  They  hoped  to 
hold  out  until  relief  came,  but  both  rations  and  am- 
munition were  alarmingly  low. 

This  news  stirred  each  of  the  foreign  nations  as 
they  had  never  been  stirred  before.  "  Pekin  must 
be  relieved  at  any  cost,"  was  what  every  one  said. 
"Our  ministers  and  our  people  must  be  saved." 
Then  the  preparations  for  the  advance  were  hurried 
more  than  ever. 

One  afternoon,  when  all  was  quiet,  Gilbert 
obtained  leave  of  absence  for  a  few  hours,  and  lost 
no  time  in  hurrying  to  that  section  of  the  foreign 


242  ON   TO   PEKIN 

quarter  where  the  Bartletts  resided.  The  walk  was 
one  not  easily  to  be  forgotten  ;  for  the  dead  Chinese 
still  lay  everywhere,  the  corpses  being  continually 
turned  over  by  the  savage  "  chow  "  dogs,  who  would 
growl  fiercely  at  the  approach  of  man.  There  was 
small  use  in  trying  to  kill  these  dogs,  for  they  num- 
bered into  the  thousands. 

Arriving  in  the  neighborhood  for  which  he  had 
been  bound,  the  first  thing  that  caught  Gilbert's  eye 
was  the  ruins  of  the  great  warehouse  which  had  be- 
fore been  damaged  by  fire.  It  was  now  burnt  to  the 
ground,  and  the  broken  tea-boxes  lay  in  all  direc- 
tions with  the  tea  stamped  in  the  mud  of  the  road- 
way. 

The  tea-merchant's  residence  had  also  suffered 
some ;  but,  luckily,  at  the  time  of  the  conflagration 
the  wind  was  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  only  a 
piazza  was  burnt  off  and  the  side  of  the  building 
badly  scorched. 

"  That  fire  must  have  been  an  awful  shock  to  Mr. 
Bartlett,"  thought  Gilbert,  and  quickened  his  steps 
to  the  side  entrance  opposite  to  where  the  fire  had 
occurred. 

As  he  stood  ready  to  knock  on  the  door,  the  sound 


NUGGY   POLK'S   SET-BACK  243 

of  a  familiar  voice  broke  upon  his  ear.  Nuggy  Polk 
was  inside,  talking  to  Mrs.  Bartlett  and  Jennie. 

"  I  think  it's  foolishness  that  you  won't  let  me 
talk  to  Mr.  Bartlett,"  Nuggy  was  saying.  "  I  have 
travelled  all  the  way  from  the  United  States  for  that 
purpose." 

"  I  am  sorry,  but  my  husband  is  very  low,"  an- 
swered the  lady  of  the  house.  "  That  last  fire  com- 
pletely unnerved  him ;  and  our  doctor  says,  if  he  is 
not  kept  perfectly  quiet,  he  may  go  out  of  his  mind 
completely." 

"  I  won't  excite  him,  Mrs.  Bartlett.  In  fact,  I 
think  what  I  have  to  say  will  make  him  feel  better." 

"  I  presume  you  came  to  see  about  his  shares  in 
the  Richmond  Importing  Company." 

"  That's  it.  I  came  to  offer  him  a  fair  price  for 
his  stock.  He  knows  the  company  is  about  on  its 
last  legs,  and  that  the  stock  is  hardly  worth  a  pinch 
of  salt.  But  my  father  wants  to  push  things  and 
build  the  company  up  again,  and  he  is  willing  to  give 
an  old  shareholder  like  Mr.  Bartlett  a  fair  price  for 
his  holdings." 

"  I  don't  think  my  husband  wishes  to  sell  out." 

At  this  Nuggy  Polk's   face  grew  dark.     "He'll 


244  ON   TO   PEKIN 

make  the  mistake  of  his  life,  if  he  doesn't  sell  out," 
he  returned.  "For,  if  my  father  can't  get  hold  of 
the  stock,  he  intends  to  drop  the  whole  thing ;  and 
then  the  company  will  be  bankrupt  inside  of  three 
months,  and  the  stock  won't  be  worth  the  paper  it's 
printed  on.  If  you  are  wise,  you'll  get  him  to  sell 
out,  and  without  delay." 

"  I  shan't  bother  him  now." 

"  But  I've  just  said  it  won't  bother  him,"  persisted 
the  young  man  from  Richmond. 

"  I  am  the  best  judge  of  that,  Mr.  Polk,"  returned 
the  lady,  coldly. 

"  You  had  better  call  next  week,"  put  in  Jennie. 
And  she  added  in  a  whisper  to  her  mother,  "  Papa 
may  hear  him  talking,  and  that  will  make  trouble." 

"  Yes,  Mr.  Polk,  you  can  call  next  week,"  went 
on  Mrs.  Bartlett.  "  Then,  if  my  husband  improves, 
perhaps  you  can  see  him." 

"  You  seem  to  be  in  an  awful  hurry  to  get  rid  of 
me,"  grumbled  the  visitor. 

"  We  do  not  wish  you  to  disturb  a  very  sick  man." 

"  I  am  not  disturbing  anybody." 

"  He  may  hear  you,  and  any  loud  talking  excites 
him.    I  wish  you  would  go  away  now." 


NUGGY   POLK'S   SET-BACK  245 

"  I'll  go  away  quick  enough,"  said  Nuggy  Polk,  in 
as  loud  a  voice  as  ever.  "  But  you  don't  seem  to 
know  what  is  for  Mr.  Bartlett's  good." 

At  that  moment  came  a  voice  from  a  bed-chamber 
close  at  hand.  "  Viola,  who  is  that  ?  Who  is  talk- 
ing about  me  ?  "  The  tone  was  weak  and  wild,  as  if 
the  sick  one  was  suffering  from  fever. 

"  Hush !  you  have  already  disturbed  him  1 "  cried 
Mrs.  Bartlett.  "  Please  go  away,  please  do ! "  And 
she  motioned  Nuggy  Polk  to  the  door. 

But  the  young  man  had  no  notion  of  departing 
just  yet,  and  he  held  his  ground. 

"I'm  disturbing  nobody,"  he  said  as  loudly  as 
before.  "You  are  standing  in  your  own  light.  If 
you'll  let  me  talk  to  Mr.  Bartlett — " 

"  Hush !  do  hush ! "  cried  Jennie,  in  a  low  voice. 
"  My  poor  father  has  a  heavy  fever,  and  — " 

"Yes,  but  look  here,  Miss  Bartlett.  I  offer  — 
Who  is  this  ?  Pennington,  by  Jove  I  Lieutenant, 
how  did  you  get  here?" 

"  We'll  talk  about  that  when  we  are  outside,  Polk,'" 
answered  Gilbert,  sternly.     "  Come  out  with  me." 

"Why,  I  — I  don't  understand  you,"  stammered 
Nuggy. 


246  ON   TO  PEKIN 

"  I  told  you  to  come  outside.  Are  you  going  to 
obey  orders?" 

«  Orders?" 

"Yes,  orders.  This  city  is  under  martial  law,  and 
I  am  a  lieutenant  in  the  United  States  service.  Now, 
then,  will  you  come  out,  or  must  I  have  you  placed 
under  arrest?" 

For  the  moment  the  young  man  from  Eichmond 
was  struck  speechless.  This  was  an  entirely  new 
turn  of  affairs,  and  he  knew  not  what  to  say.  As  for 
Gilbert,  the  young  lieutenant  did  not  know  if  he  was 
doing  exactly  right ;  but  for  the  sake  of  Mrs.  Bartlett 
and  Jennie  he  was  willing  to  risk  it. 

"  You — you  will  ar  —  arrest  me?" 

"Yes,  unless  you  march  out  of  here  immediately." 
And  now  Gilbert  caught  the  intruder  by  the  arm. 
"  Not  another  word ! "  and  his  face  grew  so  stern  that 
Nuggy  collapsed  completely.  Still  keeping  hold  of 
his  man,  Gilbert  led  the  way  out  of  the  house  and 
around  the  corner  of  the  street. 

"  Lieutenant  Pennington,  this  is  an  —  an  outrage ! " 
burst  out  Nuggy,  as  soon  as  he  could  collect  him- 
self. 

**  It  is  not  half  as  much  of  an  outrage  as  it  was  for 


NTJGGY   POLK'S   SET-BACK  247 

you  to  disturb  the  household  of  a  man  who  is  almost 
on  his  death-bed." 

"  I  was  there  for  the  man's  own  good." 

"  I  don't  think  so ;  and  I  am  pretty  certain  Mrs. 
Bartlett  doesn't  think  so,  either." 

"You  talk  as  if  you  knew  the  Bartletts  pretty 
well,"  sneered  the  angry  young  man. 

"I  have  become  fairly  well  acquainted  with  them 
since  my  arrival  in  Tien-Tsin." 

"  I  suppose  you  —  that  is  —  you  overheard  some 
of  my  talk,"  continued  Nuggy,  showing  that  he  was 
much  disturbed. 

"  I  did  overhear  all  I  wanted  to." 

"See  here,  Pennington,  perhaps  we  had  better 
come  to  an  understanding.  I  know  what  you  are 
up  to." 

"  And  I  know  what  you  are  up  to,  Polk." 

"What  am  I  up  to?" 

"  You  are  going  to  try  to  cheat  Mr.  Bartlett  out  of 
his  shares  in  the  Richmond  Importing  Company,  just 
as  your  father  cheated  my  mother  out  of  the  most  of 
what  was  coming  to  her  after  my  father  died." 

"It's  not  so.  I  —  I  am  trying  to  save  Mr.  Bart- 
lett's  money  for  him." 


248  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"  You  are  the  last  person  in  the  world  to  do  any 
such  thing,  Polk.  You  know  how  to  spend  money, 
but  there  is  nothing  charitable  in  your  make-up." 

"You  think  you  have  got  a  case  against  my 
father,  and  now  you  are  trying  to  make  out  a  case 
against  me." 

"You  are  making  out  the  case  against  yourself. 
Why  don't  you  leave  the  Bartletts  alone  ?  " 

"  I  haven't  hurt  them." 

"  Mr.  Bartlett  is  very  sick,  and  must  not  be  dis- 
turbed." 

"  I  came  thousands  of  miles  to  see  him." 

"That  makes  no  difference.  You  have  got  to 
leave  him  alone,  so  long  as  Mrs.  Bartlett  wishes  it." 

"  Is  that  another  of  your  orders  ?  " 

"  It  is.  And,  let  me  add,  I  am  going  to  see  that  it 
is  enforced.  If  you  are  caught  around  that  house 
again  without  the  lady's  permission,  I  will  have  you 
placed  under  arrest,  and  stowed  away  in  the  Tien- 
Tsin  prison.  That  prison  is  about  the  worst  hole  I 
have  yet  seen ;  and,  if  you  know  when  you  are  well 
off,  you'll  do  your  best  to  keep  out  of  it." 

"  You  think  you  are  big  because  you  are  a  lieuten- 
ant," blustered  Nuggy. 


NTJGGY    POLK'S    SET-BACK  249 

**  I  am  big  enough  to  handle  you,  Polk.  Now  you 
go  about  your  business,  and  "  —  Gilbert  put  a  pecul- 
iar emphasis  to  the  words  —  "  don't  try  to  steal  any 
more  letters.  They  are  easily  duplicated,  and  such 
work  may  land  you  in  prison." 

For  the  instant  Nuggy  Polk  glared  at  the  young 
lieutenant.  Then  he  turned  on  his  heel,  and  made 
down  the  roadway  at  a  rapid  walk.  At  a  far  corner 
Jerry  Nickerson  was  waiting  for  him,  and  the  pair 
soon  passed  out  of  sight. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

"ON   TO   PEKIN" 

"I  AM  very  glad  you  came  when  you  did,"  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Bartlett,  when  Gilbert  reappeared  at 
the  house.  "  If  you  had  not  come,  I  do  not  know 
what  I  should  have  done." 

She  spoke  in  a  whisper,  so  that  her  husband  might 
not  be  disturbed  again.  Jennie  had  gone  to  the 
sufferer,  and  administered  a  quieting  draught;  and 
he  was  now  in  a  fitful  doze. 

"Had  Polk  been  here  long  before  I  came?"  asked 
the  young  lieutenant,  in  an  equally  low  voice. 

"  At  least  half  an  hour.  We  tried  by  all  means  in 
our  power  to  get  rid  of  him ;  but  he  would  not  go, 
and  at  one  time  almost  pushed  his  way  into  my  hus- 
band's bed-chamber." 

"I  do  not  believe  he  will  bother  you  again,  at 
least  not  right  away."  And  Gilbert  told  how  he 
had  threatened  Nuggy  Polk.  "I  imagine  he  is  a 
coward  at  heart." 

250 


"ON  TO  pekin"  251 

Mrs.  Bartlett  led  the  way  to  a  side  room ;  and,  sit- 
ting down  here,  Gilbert  listened  to  what  she  had  to 
tell  concerning  the  second  fire  at  the  warehouse. 

"  I  believe  some  Russian  soldiers  started  it,  pos- 
sibly the  fellows  you  warned  away.  It  is  a  great  loss ; 
but,  fortunately,  we  have  a  little  insurance,  if  it  can 
be  collected.  The  fire  was  a  great  set-back  for  Mr. 
Bartlett;  and,  although  he  was  getting  better  after 
you  left,  he  is  now  as  bad  as  he  was  before." 

"  Do  you  still  wish  to  go  to  Taku?  " 

"  I  think  not.  The  bombardment  is  over,  and  all 
is  now  as  quiet  as  one  would  wish.  I  understand 
you  have  driven  the  Chinese  out  entirely." 

"  We  have  driven  all  the  soldiers  and  Boxers  out, 
and  the  others  are  as  meek  as  lambs.  But  the  loot- 
ing goes  on,  in  spite  of  what  has  been  done  to  stop  it." 

"  I  presume  you  will  now  press  on  to  Pekin." 

"  I  don't  believe  we'll  do  anything  for  a  week  or 
so.  We  are  awaiting  the  arrival  of  more  troops,  both 
from  Manila  and  from  the  United  States.  And  we 
need  boats  for  the  river  and  horses  for  the  cavalry." 

"  And  what  is  the  news  from  Pekin  ?  " 

**  All  our  people  are  shut  up,  and  suffering  a  terri- 
ble bombardment.     A    mine    was  discovered  undei 


252  ON  TO  PEKtN 

the  American  legation,  but  it  was  cut  off  before 
the  Chinese  could  explode  it.  They  say  most  of 
the  dwellings  of  the  foreigners  are  wrecked.  Many 
of  the  missionaries  outside  of  Pekin  have  been  slain, 
and  their  bodies  mutilated." 

Mrs.  Bartlett  shuddered.  "  War  is  horrible,  lieu- 
tenant. I  want  no  more  of  it.  And  I  want  no  more 
of  the  Chinese.  If  my  husband  gets  better,  I  am 
going  to  persuade  him  to  sell  out  his  interest  here, 
and  go  back  to  the  States." 

Soon  after  this  Jennie  came  back ;  and  then  Gil- 
bert was  invited  to  tiffin  on  the  back  piazza,  which 
had  been  repaired  since  the  fall  of  the  tree.  As  Mrs. 
Bartlett  was  a  motherly  lady  and  Jennie  a  lovely 
and  engaging  young  miss,  it  can  readily  be  imagined 
that  Gilbert  enjoyed  the  repast  thoroughly.  He 
lingered  as  long  as  he  dared,  and  then  hurried  off  to 
the  office  of  the  provost  marshal  of  the  district,  to 
caution  the  guard  against  allowing  the  Bartletts 
to  be  disturbed  by  either  Nuggy  Polk  or  Jerry 
Nickerson. 

When  the  young  lieutenant  arrived  at  headquar- 
ters, he  found  that  some  mail  had  just  come  in  from 
the  States   and  from  the  Philippines.      There  was 


"ON  TO  pekin"  253 

one  letter  for  him  from  Manila,  and  written  by  Larry 
Russell,  that  interested  him  very  much.  This  ran 
as  follows:  — 

"Dear  Gilbert, — I  suppose  by  the  time  this  reaches 
you,  you  will  be  in  the  hottest  of  the  fighting,  and 
will  be  covering  yourself  with  glory.  Well,  go  in 
and  win,  and  don't  come  out  of  the  struggle  with 
less  than  a  colonel's  commission. 

"All  still  remains  somewhat  quiet  here,  and  we 
boys  expect  to  move  very  soon;  but  whether  to 
China  or  to  the  United  States  nobody  can  tell.  The 
rebels  are  lying  low  in  the  mountains,  and  Ben  says 
he  may  get  another  go  at  them ;  but  I  don't  think  so. 

"By  the  way,  there  is  an  old  friend  of  mine  in 
China,  a  missionary  named  Martin  Wells,  who  sailed 
with  me  on  the  Columbia.  You'll  remember  my  tell- 
ing you  about  him.  He  was  stationed  at  Hong 
Kong  at  first,  but  later  on  went  to  Pekin ;  and  I've 
read  in  a  newspaper  that  he  was  trying  to  escape 
from  the  Boxers.  If  you  can  do  anything  for  him,  I 
wish  you  would.  Have  you  seen  or  heard  anything 
of  the  old  Columbia?  She  must  be  somewhere 
around    the    Gulf   of    Pechili,    unless   the    Chinese 


254  ON   TO   PEKIN 

pirates  have  captured  her.  I  hear  that  those  rascals 
are  taking  advantage  of  the  war.  I  must  hurry,  as 
the  mail  is  closing. 

"  Ever  your  friend, 

"Larky  Russell." 

"  Dear  Larry ! "  murmured  Gilbert.  "  I  don't 
wonder  Ben  and  Walter  love  him.  Yes,  I  remember 
hearing  about  the  Rev.  Mr.  Wells ;  and  I'll  do  all  I 
can  for  him  if  we  chance  to  meet." 

Gilbert  had  looked  for  a  few  days'  rest,  but  in  this 
he  was  mistaken.  It  was  true  there  was  no  fighting ; 
but  preparations  were  continued  for  the  advance  on 
Pekin,  and  this  gave  him  plenty  of  work  to  do. 

General  Chaffee  was  now  in  command  of  all  the 
American  forces  in  Tien-Tsin  and  on  the  way ;  and 
these  numbered  in  round  figures  five  thousand  men. 
The  British  troops  numbered  about  the  same,  and 
the  French  and  German  about  half  as  many.  Of 
Russians  there  were  at  least  ten  thousand,  and  twice 
that  many  Japanese.  Of  course,  all  of  these  could 
not  participate  in  the  forward  movement;  and  the 
actual  army  which  struck  out  for  the  Chinese  capital 
uumbered  only  sixteen  thousand  men. 


"ON  TO  pekin"  255 

Before  the  Allies  left  Tien-Tsin  there  were  numer- 
ous heavy  rains;  and  these  caused  the  Pei-Ho  to 
overflow  its  banks,  and  rush  through  the  broken 
dikes  the  Chinese  had  left  behind  them.  As  a  con- 
sequence, the  marshlands  were  covered  with  water 
and  mud  for  miles  around,  rendering  the  advance  of 
the  soldiers  exceedingly  slow  and  difficult.  The 
rains  continued ;  and,  when  it  was  not  raining,  the  sun 
shone  down  so  fiercely  that  many  a  man  was  pros- 
trate by  the  heat.  The  water  was  so  impure  as  to 
be  unfit  to  drink,  and  the  whole  territory  abounded 
in  fever  and  malaria  for  the  foreigners. 

By  the  last  day  of  July  all  was  in  readiness  for 
the  advance ;  and  the  first  movement  was  made  by  the 
Russian  contingent,  which  advanced  up  the  river  a 
distance  of  several  miles,  and,  after  a  slight  resistance, 
captured  some  additional  mud  forts.  This  move- 
ment up  the  muddy  stream  was  followed  by  the 
starting  of  the  transports,  which  had  to  be  poled 
along,  for  fear  of  running  into  the  junks  the  Chinese 
had  sunk  in  the  channel.  A  few  of  the  craft  were 
towed  by  Chinese  coolies,  but  their  progress  was  not 
satisfactory. 

Following  the  advance  of  the  Russians  came  that 


256  ON   TO   PEKIN 

of  the  French,  and  these  two  commands  went  up  the 
Pei-Ho  between  the  river  and  the  railroad.  The 
Americans,  English,  Japanese,  and  other  commands 
advanced  along  the  west  bank  of  the  Pei-Ho,  the 
Americans  being  two  thousand  strong,  including  a 
battery. 

The  Chinese  were  strongly  intrenched  at  Peitsang, 
in  a  position  ten  to  twelve  miles  north  of  Tien-Tsin. 
They  had  over  twenty  thousand  troops  on  the  firing 
line,  and  half  as  many  more  in  reserve ;  and  several  of 
their  batteries  held  excellent  positions  for  defence. 

The  main  portion  of  Peitsang  is  on  the  left  side  of 
the  Pei-Ho.  It  is  a  town  of  considerable  importance, 
containing  many  thousands  of  inhabitants  and  a  long 
wharfage.  Back  of  the  town  is  a  long  lake,  connect- 
ing with  the  river  by  canals.  These  canals  had  all 
been  cut,  and  the  roads   beside  them  ploughed  up. 

The  going  out  of  the  Allies  from  Tien-Tsin  proper 
was  like  the  moving  of  some  immense  caravan,  or 
what  many  a  boy  in  America  knows  as  a  "Wild 
West "  show.  The  troops  were  arrayed  in  a  dozen 
different  uniforms,  and  marched  as  pleased  them; 
and  behind  them  came  the  quartermasters'  turnouts, 
horses    and  wagons,  cows  and  carts,  little   donkeys 


"ON  TO  pekin"  257 

with  loads  which  almost  placed  them  out  of  sight, 
and  huge,  awkward  camels  with  their  burdens  tower- 
ing skyward.  There  were  also  Chinese  coolies  with 
packs,  and  with  rickshaws  —  that  is,  carriages  meant 
to  be  pulled  by  human  hands.  Everything  that 
could  "go"  was  pressed  into  service. 

"  It's  on  to  Pekin  now,  sure !  "  exclaimed  Captain. 
Banner,  as  he  trudged  once  more  beside  Gilbert. 
"  And,  in  my  opinion,  we  are  going  to  have  our  hands 
full." 

"I  am  ready  to  take  what  comes,"  answered  Gil- 
bert. "  I  was  getting  tired  of  hanging  around  Tien- 
Tsin." 

"  Sure,  an'  this  marchin'  is  worse  nor  the  bogs  av 
ould  Ireland,"  broke  out  Dan  Casey,  as  he  splashed 
through  water  up  to  his  ankles.  "  Iviry  shtep  I  take 
I  think  I'll  go  into  a  hole  up  to  me  waist." 

"Dot's  all  right,  so  long  as  you  ton't  vos  go  in 
ofer  your  head,  Tan,"  replied  Stummer.  "How  dis 
mud  does  stick  to  mine  poots !  Feels  like  it  vos 
goin'  to  bull  'em  off,  hey  ?  " 

"  You  ought  to  be  used  to  such  travelling  by  this 
time,"  laughed  Gilbert.  "  You  have  had  lots  of  ex- 
perience in  the  Philippines." 


258  ON   TO   PEKIN 

On  and  on  went  the  soldiers  through  the  water 
and  mud.  Each  was  heavily  loaded,  and  the  suffer- 
ing was  great.  Yet  but  few  complaints  were  heard, 
for  each  nation  was  vying  with  the  others  to  get 
ahead. 

As  soon  as  the  first  detachment  of  the  Allies 
appeared,  the  Chinese  batteries  began  to  thunder 
forth  their  shot  and  shell  with  deadly  effect.  The 
guns  were  well  managed,  and  to  silence  them  seemed 
at  first  impossible. 

"  Major  Morris,  you  will  take  your  battalion  around 
to  the  road  on  the  left,"  said  the  lieutenant-colonel, 
as  he  dashed  up  on  horseback.  ««■  Yonder  gun  must 
be  silenced.  Do  you  think  your  boys  can  do  the 
work?" 

"  We  can  try,"  answered  the  major,  as  he  saluted. 
Then  he  turned  to  the  four  companies  behind  him. 
"  Boys,  we  are  ordered  to  storm  yonder  position  and 
take  that  gun.     We  must  do  it." 

"  We  will  1  We  will  I "  was  the  reply.  "  Hurrah 
for  Old  Glory  I  " 

"I  know  I  can  depend  upon  you.  Forward, 
double  quick !     Left  oblique ! " 

Away  went  Company  A,  with  the  others  close 


"ON  TO  pekin"  259 

behind.  As  soon  as  the  road  mentioned  was  gained, 
the  major  brought  the  second  half  of  the  battalion  up 
on  the  side  of  the  first.  Then  came  the  order  to 
advance  in  a  skirmish  line ;  and  away  went  the  three 
hundred  and  fifty  odd  regulars  on  the  double-quick, 
firing  at  will  as  they  advanced. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

THE  BATTLE  OF   PEITSANG 

Gilbert  felt  his  heart  beat  rapidly  as  he  advanced 
at  the  head  of  the  second  division  of  Company  A. 
It  was  no  slight  thing  to  rush  to  the  firing  line  at 
any  time,  and  he  felt  that  the  present  movement  was 
to  be  hotly  resisted. 

The  gun  before  them  was  situated  on  an  elevation 
of  ten  feet  above  the  marsh,  with  a  bank  on  the  right 
and  the  left.  In  front  of  the  gun  was  a  deep  ditch, 
all  of  fifteen  feet  wide.  But  at  one  end  of  the  ditch 
was  a  small  pile  of  dirt,  which,  in  their  haste,  the 
Chinese  had  been  unable  to  remove. 

Boom !  the  gun  belched  forth  just  as  the  battalion 
was  crossing  the  marsh,  cutting  down  three  of  the 
soldiers  and  causing  a  momentary  check  in  Com- 
pany B. 

"Forward!"  shouted  the  major.  "Don't  hang 
back,  boys.    We'll  soon  have  the  hill ! n 

v  Forward  it  is ! "  shouted  an  old  regular.    **  Who's 

280 


THE   BATTLE    OF   PEITSANG  261 

afraid  of  the  Chinks  ?  I'm  not ! "  And  he  went  on 
ahead. 

So  far,  Gilbert  had  not  fired ;  but  now  he  saw  a 
good  chance,  and,  aiming  at  one  of  the  Celestial  gun- 
ners, he  discharged  his  pistol,  and  the  gunner  imme- 
diately tumbled  out  of  sight.  But  there  were  a 
dozen  to  take  his  place ;  and  soon  the  field-piece  was 
loaded  and  fired  again. 

When  the  pile  of  mud  in  the  ditch  was  reached,  it 
was  found  almost  too  soft  for  the  soldiers  to  step 
upon ;  and  the  foremost  men  hesitated,  not  knowing 
whether  to  go  on  or  retreat, 

"Down  with  your  rolls!"  shouted  Gilbert,  who 
was  the  nearest  officer;  and  at  once  a  score  of 
blanket  rolls  went  down  in  the  mud.  More  fol- 
lowed; and  these  formed  a  temporary  bridge,  over 
which  the  soldiers  leaped  in  safety. 

The  ditch  crossed,  there  came  a  wild  yell  from  the 
top  of  the  embankment  in  front ;  and  immediately  a 
perfect  horde  of  Chinese  soldiers  appeared,  waving 
their  fantastic  banners  and  discharging  their  guns 
and  pistols.  But  the  Celestials  were  too  excited  to 
shoot  very  straight ;  and  most  of  their  ammunition, 
consequently,  went  to  waste. 


262  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"  Come  on  up  the  hill ! "  cried  Gilbert,  as  he  started 
to  lead  the  way.  He  had  seen  a  small  opening,  and 
was  quick  to  take  advantage  of  it.  The  way  was 
slippery,  and  the  situation  a  critical  one ;  but  he 
knew  that  a  quick  dash  is  worth  a  dozen  common 
advances.  In  a  minute  he  was  at  the  top  of  the 
slope,  and  half  a  company  came  upon  his  heels. 

Gilbert  now  found  himself  confronted  by  two 
Chinese  soldiers,  each  of  whom  took  aim  at  him  as 
soon  as  he  showed  himself.  Before  the  men  could 
fire,  one  was  knocked  over  by  a  bullet  from  the  rear. 
The  second,  however,  pulled  trigger  directly  on  Gil- 
bert's breast ;  and  the  bullet  scraped  the  young  lieu- 
tenant's ribs  so  deeply  that  the  blood  flowed  through 
his  shirt. 

"  You  are  shot ! "  cried  Captain  Banner.  "  Better 
go  to  the  rear." 

"  Not  yet ! "  was  Gilbert's  answer.  "  Come  on, 
boys !  The  gun  will  soon  be  ours ! "  And  again  he 
led  the  way. 

But  the  Chinese  did  not  intend  to  give  up  their 
field-piece  thus  easily ;  and  soon  a  fierce  hand-to-hand 
encounter  was  on,  both  sides  first  emptying  their 
weapons  and  then  using  their  gun-stocks  for  clubs. 


THE   BATTLE    OF    PEITSANG  263 

Finding  they  could  not  save  the  gun,  the  Chinese 
loaded  it  to  the  very  muzzle  with  a  triple  charge  of 
powder  and  two  shells,  intending  to  blow  it  up. 

"  They  are  going  to  blow  up  the  gun !  "  was  the 
cry.  And,  seeing  the  movement,  the  majority  of  the 
Americans  hurled  themselves  flat,  to  aVoid  the  force 
of  the  explosion.  But,  before  the  gunners  could 
touch  off  the  piece,  several  sharpshooters  picked 
them  off ;  and  the  gun  was  saved. 

The  Americans  on  the  embankment  were  confront- 
ing at  least  ten  times  their  own  number ;  and,  as  the 
tide  of  battle  swept  on,  it  looked  as  if  they  would  be 
wiped  out  by  such  a  horde.  They  had  been  righting 
since  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  it  was  now 
half-past  seven.  More  than  two-thirds  of  their 
ammunition  had  been  spent. 

The  gun  was  the  centre  of  attraction,  and  soon  the 
whole  battalion  was  massed  behind  it.  Some  gunners 
tried  to  use  the  piece,  but  failed  in  their  efforts  to 
clean  it  out. 

At  this  juncture  a  strong  force  of  Japanese  were 
seen  to  be  approaching  from  the  westward, —  a  force 
which  had  succeeded  in  turning  the  enemy's  right 
wing.     Seeing  the  Americans  in  front  of  the  Chinese, 


264  ON   TO   PEKIN 

they  came  up  in  the  rear;  and  thus  the  Celestials 
were  caught  between  two  fires. 

For  a  few  minutes  it  was  as  if  pandemonium  had 
broken  loose ;  for  both  the  Chinese  and  the  Japanese 
yelled  like  madmen,  in  the  mean  while  firing  as 
rapidly  as  possible.  Banner  after  banner  of  the 
upholders  of  the  Dragon  went  under,  and  then  the 
Chinese  turned  to  break  through  the  American 
ranks. 

Major  Morris  had  anticipated  the  shock ;  and,  when 
it  came,  it  found  our  regulars  standing  shoulder  to 
shoulder,  and  two  deep  all  along  the  line.  A  solid 
volley  was  poured  into  the  enemy ;  and  scores  of 
Chinese  went  down,  to  rise  no  more.  This  terrific 
slaughter  had  its  desired  effect;  and  the  Chinese 
turned  again,  and  scattered  through  the  Japanese, 
who  cut  them  down  on  every  side.  But  the  Chi- 
nese could  not  be  stopped;  and,  terror-stricken,  they 
fled  through  Peitsang  toward  Yangtsun,  still  further 
up  the  river. 

All  told,  the  battle  of  Peitsang  lasted  from  three 
o'clock,  Sunday  morning,  the  5th  of  August,  until 
well  toward  noon.  The  principal  troops  engaged 
were  the  Russian  and  Japanese,  and  the  total  loss  to 


THE   BATTLE    OF    PEITSANG  265 

the  Allies  was  twelve  hundred  killed  and  wounded. 
How  many  the  Chinese  lost  will  probably  never  be 
known,  but  they  certainly  numbered  into  the  thou- 
sands. 

The  capture  of  Peitsang  was  important,  and  many 
supposed  that  the  Allies  would  rest  there.  But  this 
was  not  to  be ;  for  that  would  have  given  the  Chinese 
time  to  throw  up  intrenchments  at  Yangtsun,  seven 
miles  distant. 

"  We  must  go  right  after  them  I "  said  more  than 
one  soldier.  And  go  after  them  they  did,  early  on 
Monday ;  and  by  Tuesday  Yangtsun  had  fallen,  and 
the  Chinese  were  retreating  in  the  direction  of  Ho- 
Si-Wu  and  Matow. 

The  awful  heat  told  fearfully  upon  Captain  Ban- 
ner's company ;  and  most  of  the  soldiers  were  glad 
enough  to  rest  at  Yangtsun  for  half  a  day,  to  await 
rations  and  some  necessary  equipments.  The  only 
troops  who  would  not  rest  were  the  Japanese.  Those 
little  fighters  were  on  the  go  night  and  day,  and  did 
not  seem  to  know  what  exhaustion  meant. 

"They  beat  me,"  declared  Captain  Banner.  "I 
have  seen  Indians  keep  it  up  pretty  well,  but  never 
like  these  sons  of  Japan.     I  believe  they'll  go  right 


266  ON   TO   PEKIN 

straight  through  to  Pekin  without  sleeping."  And 
the  captain  was  about  right. 

At  Yangtsun,  Gilbert  was  placed  in  charge  of  a 
detachment  stationed  not  far  from  the  river,  where 
there  were  a  number  of  large  warehouses  filled  with 
rice  and  other  produce.  These  warehouses  were 
owned  by  Americans,  and  it  was  the  young  lieuten- 
ant's duty  to  see  that  they  were  not  destroyed. 

The  night  was  a  gloomy  one,  as  if  rain  was  coming. 
It  was  Gilbert's  time  off,  yet  he  felt  too  stirred  up  to 
sleep.  Besides  this,  the  wound  over  his  breast,  while 
it  did  not  hurt  outright,  itched  considerably,  adding 
to  his  wakefulness. 

Unconscious  of  danger,  he  walked  slowly  down  the 
street  upon  which  the  warehouses  were  located.  He 
met  a  number  of  Chinese ;  but  all  were  unarmed,  and 
appeared  to  be  friendly. 

At  the  end  of  the  block  was  a  sort  of  hotel,  which 
was  now  almost  deserted.  But  there  was  one  China- 
man standing  at  the  front  door;  and,  as  Gilbert 
passed,  this  fellow  eyed  the  young  lieutenant  nar- 
rowly. 

"  It  is  the  same  ! "  he  exclaimed  in  Chinese.  «  The 
very  same  1 "     And  he  clenched  his  fists  in  rage. 


THE   BATTLE   OF   PEITSANG  267 

"  Did  you  speak  ? "  asked  a  second  Chinaman, 
standing  within  the  front  room  of  the  hotel. 

"  I  did,  Tung,"  was  the  answer.  "  Do  you  see 
yonder  American  officer?"  And  the  man  at  the 
doorway  pointed  with  his  long  bony  finger. 

"And  what  of  that  soldier?" 

"  It  was  he  who  caused  my  brother  Fun's  house  to 
be  burnt  down,  and  caused  Fun  and  Ching  Wo  to 
be  killed." 

"  Ah !     You  are  sure  of  that  ?  " 

"  I  am  positive."  Chow  Ching  grated  his  yellow 
teeth.     "  Would  that  I  could  lay  him  low !  " 

"  Would  that  we  could  lay  all  the  foreign  devils 
low  1 "  answered  the  one  called  Tung. 

"We  will  do  that  in  time.  But  this  man, —  he 
helped  to  kill  my  brother!" 

"  Then  you  shall  kill  him." 

"  I  will.     And  will  you  aid  me  ?  " 

"  I  will,  if  we  can  do  the  deed  under  cover  of  the 
darkness.  But  we  dare  not  shoot  him.  The  alarm 
would  bring  a  hundred  soldiers  around  us  with  the 
speed  of  the  wind." 

"  Let  us  follow  him,  and  see  where  he  goes.  We 
may  be  able  to  get  him  into  a  corner." 


268  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"  You  have  your  dagger?" 

"Yes." 

"  And  I  have  mine ;  and  they  are  better  than  fire- 
arms, for  they  raise  no  alarm." 

"The  American  may  have  some  money  on  his 
person." 

"  If  so,  we  can  divide  it  between  us.  Come,  be- 
fore he  gets  out  of  our  sight." 

A  moment  later  the  two  Celestials  left  the  hotel, 
and,  like  two  shadows,  slunk  after  Gilbert  in  the  fast- 
gathering  darkness. 


CHAPTER   XXVII 

A  RAINY  MARCH   TO   TUNG-CHOW 

All  unconscious  that  he  was  being  followed  by 
two  Chinamen  who  wished  to  take  his  life,  Gilbert 
walked  along  slowly  until  the  end  of  the  street  was 
reached.  Then  he  turned  down  a  side  road,  which 
led  to  an  encampment  of  British  cavalry.  He  had 
become  acquainted  with  some  of  these  men,  and  he 
was  curious  to  see  how  they  conducted  themselves 
when  off  duty. 

As  mentioned  before  in  this  story,  many  streets  in 
China  become  in  time  little  better  than  ditches ;  and 
this  was  true  of  the  road  Gilbert  was  pursuing.  It 
was  not  over  fifteen  feet  in  width ;  and  at  the  bottom 
lay  loose  stones,  weeds,  and  not  a  little  garbage.  All 
the  houses  along  the  road  appeared  to  be  dark  and 
locked  up. 

Half  the  distance  to  the  British  encampment  was 
gained,  when  the  young  lieutenant  imagined  that  he 
heard  footsteps  behind  him.     He  turned  quickly,  and 


270  ON   TO    PEKIN 

made  out  two  forms  approaching.  As  soon  as  dis- 
covered, the  two  forms  sank  out  of  sight  behind  a 
pile  of  stones. 

"  I  don't  like  this,"  said  Gilbert  to  himself,  and  in- 
stinctively felt  for  his  pistol. 

He  was  still  three  hundred  yards  from  the  British 
encampment,  and  not  even  an  outpost  was  near  him. 
The  sky  was  now  blacker  than  ever,  and  the  road  be- 
came so  dark  he  could  not  see  over  a  score  of  feet 
in  any  direction. 

Suddenly  a  stone  whizzed  past  his  head,  coming 
from  where  he  had  seen  the  two  forms  disappear. 
The  first  missile  was  followed  by  a  second,  which 
took  him  in  the  shoulder. 

"  Stop,  or  I'll  fire ! "  he  called  out,  and  raised  his 
weapon,  but  saw  nothing  to  aim  at.  Then  came  two 
more  stones,  one  of  which  hit  him  in  the  side  of  the 
head,  half  stunning  him.  He  staggered  forward,  and 
then  fell  flat. 

"  We  have  brought  him  down ! "  whispered  one  of 
the  Chinamen,  the  brother  to  the  one  that  had  been 
killed.  "  Come  ! "  And  he  ran  toward  Gilbert, 
closely  followed  by  his  companion. 

The  Celestials  were  still  a  few  feet  away,  when 


It  was  now  a  hand  to  hand  contest.  —  Page  271. 


A   RAINY  MARCH   TO  TUNG-CHOW  271 

Gilbert  turned  around,  and  managed  to  get  to  his 
knees.  He  felt  that  his  assailants  meant  to  take  his 
life,  if  they  could;  and  he  was  determined  to  resist 
to  the  last. 

He  had  no  time  to  take  a  good  aim  with  his  pistol, 
but  fired  as  rapidly  as  he  could;  and  the  bullet 
pierced  the  ankle  of  one  of  the  Celestials,  causing 
him  to  drop  down  with  a  roar  of  pain.  Then  the 
other,  Chow  Ching,  leaped  upon  him,  dagger  in  hand. 

To  this  day  Gilbert  cannot  explain  how  he  escaped 
the  deadly  blow  which  was  aimed  straight  for  his 
heart.  But  escape  it  he  did,  the  keen  blade  merely 
burying  itself  in  his  clothing.  Then  the  young  lieu- 
tenant fired  a  second  time,  but  this  shot  took  no 
effect. 

It  was  now  a  hand-to-hand  contest ;  and,  leaping 
up,  Gilbert  caught  the  Chinaman  by  the  throat,  at 
the  same  time  trying  to  catch  the  man's  wrist  with 
his  other  hand.  On  his  part  the  Celestial  aimed 
blow  after  blow  at  the  young  lieutenant,  one  striking 
Gilbert  in  the  hip.  But  this  was  of  small  conse- 
quence, and  at  last  Gilbert  had  the  wrist  secured ; 
and  he  gave  it  such  a  powerful  twist  that  the  dagger 
dropped  to  the  ground. 


272  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"  Help  me ! "  cried  Chow  Ching  to  his  companion. 
"  Help  me,  Tung,  before  it  is  too  late  I " 

"  I  cannot.     I  am  wounded,"  groaned  Tung. 

The  talk  being  in  Chinese,  Gilbert  could  not  un- 
derstand a  word  of  it.  But  he  realized  that  the 
second  Celestial  would  take  a  part  if  he  could ;  and, 
consequently,  he  began  to  drag  Chow  Ching  up  the 
road,  away  from  the  fallen  Tung. 

But  Chow  Ching,  if  not  extra  strong,  was  wiry ; 
and  presently  he  gave  a  twist,  and  freed  himself. 
Then  he  leaped  back  to  where  the  dagger  had  fallen, 
and  secured  the  blade.  Gilbert's  pistol  was  not  far 
away,  but  in  the  darkness  the  Celestial  did  not  see  it. 

Footsteps  were  now  heard  approaching ;  and  pres- 
ently two  tall  English  cavalrymen  hove  into  appear- 
ance, each  with  a  drawn  sabre. 

"What's  the  row  'ere,  Hi  want  to  know,'*  de- 
manded the  one  in  advance. 

"  Help  me ! "  answered  Gilbert.  "  I  have  been  at- 
tacked by  two  Chinese  assassins." 

"  Give  yourselves  hup !  "  roared  the  second  cavalry- 
man.    "  Hif  you  don't,  Hi'll  fire  !  " 

But  Chow  Ching  had  no  intention  of  giving  him- 
self up ;  and,  dagger  in  hand,  he  made  for  the  nearest 


A  RAINY  MARCH   TO   TUNG-CHOW  273 

building.  Instantly  both  cavalrymen  fired  their  pistols 
at  him ;  but,  if  he  was  hit,  he  gave  no  sign.  He  dis- 
appeared behind  the  building;  and,  though  Gilbert 
and  the  Englishmen  hunted  for  him  half  an  hour,  he 
could  not  be  found.  It  may  be  as  well  to  add  here 
that  the  young  lieutenant  never  saw  Chow  Ching 
again. 

While  the  hunt  was  going  on,  the  soldiers  had  kept 
their  eyes  on  Tung,  who  still  lay  groaning  in  the 
roadway.  The  search  over,  a  guard  was  called,  and 
the  Celestial  was  made  a  prisoner.  When  examined, 
he  said  that  Chow  Ching  had  told  him  that  Gilbert 
was  the  murderer  of  Chow  Fun.  He  was  sent  to  the 
rear,  and  later  on  placed  in  the  prison  at  Tien-Tsin. 

The  adventure  had  given  Gilbert  all  he  wanted  of 
roaming  around  in  the  dark  alone ;  and,  after  that,  he 
stuck  close  to  camp,  excepting  when  duty  called  him 
elsewhere. 

"  You  must  be  careful,"  said  Captain  Banner  again. 
"  We've  lost  officers  enough  already.  At  this  rate, 
there  won't  be  a  handful  of  us  left  by  the  time  we 
reach  Pekin." 

Although  the  night  had  looked  like  rain,  the  sun 
came  up  clear  and  strong  on  the  following  morning; 


274  ON   TO   PEKIN 

and  by  ten  o'clock  the  heat  was  almost  unbearable. 
The  march  was  resumed,  the  Japanese  and  Russians 
having  gone  on  ahead. 

"  Where  to  now  ?  "  asked  Gilbert. 

"To  Ho-Si-Wu,  and  from  there  to  Matow,"  an- 
swered Captain  Banner. 

"  And  how  far  is  that  from  Pekin  ?  " 

"  About  twenty-eight  miles.  But  I  understand  we 
have  still  the  worst  end  of  the  road  to  travel." 

"  To  move  ahead  in  this  heat  is  well-nigh  impos- 
sible," went  on  Gilbert,  as  he  stroked  the  perspiration 
from  his  brow  with  the  side  of  his  finger.  "Poor 
Kelson  is  knocked  out,  and  Ramsey  says  his  head 
feels  as  if  it  had  fireworks  inside  of  it." 

"  Then  Ramsey  had  better  go  to  the  rear,  or  he'll 
be  knocked  out,  too.  That  will  leave  us  with  but 
seventy-nine  men.  I  must  say  I  feel  rather  queer 
myself,"  continued  Captain  Banner.  "  My  stomach 
is  very  weak." 

"You  had  better  take  it  easy  yourself,  captain," 
was  Gilbert's  sober  comment.  "  I  must  say  you  look 
as  if  you  were  fixing  for  a  fever."  And  in  this  sur- 
mise Gilbert  was  correct ;  for  Captain  Banner  was 
struck  with  tropical  fever  on  the  arrival  of  the  troops 


A   RAINY   MARCH   TO   TUNG-CHOW  275 

at  Ho-Si-Wu,  and  had  to  be  sent  back  to  the  hospital 
at  Taku  by  boat. 

This  left  Gilbert  in  command  of  Company  A, —  a 
position  he  was  proud  to  assume,  although  regretting 
exceedingly  that  his  fellow-officer  was  not  to  partici- 
pate in  the  assault  on  the  Chinese  capital.  The 
young  lieutenant  took  command  in  his  own  quiet 
way,  which  at  once  won  the  respect  of  all  under  him. 

"Sure,  an'  ye  desarve  the  position,"  said  Dan 
Casey.  "None  of  the  b'ys  has  fought  harder  nor 
you." 

"I  think  you  have  done  your  share  of  fighting, 
Dan,"  replied  Gilbert.  "  If  you  keep  on,  you'll  come 
out  a  sergeant  at  least,  and  perhaps  a  lieutenant." 

"  Well,  I  wouldn't  mind  being  a  sergeant,  captain ; 
but,  as  fer  a  lieutenancy  in  the  rigulars,  I'm  afraid  it's 
beyant  me.  If  it  was  the  volunteers,  it  might  be 
different.     I'm  not  from  West  P'int,  ye  know." 

"And  neither  am  I,  Dan.  And  there  is  always 
room  at  the  top,"  concluded  the  acting  captain  of 
Company  A. 

Ho-Si-Wu  having  been  occupied  without  serious 
opposition,  the  Allies  marched  straight  for  Matow, 
and  from  that  unimportant  town  through  Ching-Chia- 


276  ON    TO   PEKIN 

Wan  to  the  walled  city  of  Tung-Chow,  popularly 
known  as  the  gateway  to  Pekin. 

The  opposition  on  the  way  was  much  less  than 
anticipated.  As  before,  the  Japanese  and  Russians 
kept  in  advance,  with  the  other  troops  on  the  right 
and  the  left.  At  various  points  the  Chinese  had 
thrown  up  strong  intrenchments,  and  all  their  fortifi- 
cations were  ready  for  use;  yet  they  generally  fled 
after  firing  one  or  two  rounds  from  rifles  and  cannon. 

On  the  last  two  days  of  the  march  the  long-threat- 
ened rain  came  down  in  torrents,  covering  the  already 
muddy  roads  to  the  depth  of  six  inches  with  water 
and  slime.  In  this  storm  some  of  the  transportation 
wagons  lost  their  way;  and  for  two  nights  Major 
Morris's  battalion  slept  out  in  the  field  without  cover- 
ing of  any  kind.  Of  the  transportation  wagons  which 
became  lost,  three  took  a  side  road  running  directly 
into  the  Chinese  camp ;  and  these  would  have  been 
captured  by  the  enemy,  had  not  some  sharpshooters  of 
the  Russians  discovered  them,  and  turned  the  drivers 
back. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  some  of  the  soldiers 
were  much  disheartened,  for  the  wearisome  march 
was    beginning    to    tell    upon   them.     They   could 


A   RAINY   MARCH   TO   TUNG-CHOW  277 

scarcely  drag  one  tired  leg  after  the  other,  and  had  to 
be  urged  forward  constantly  by  their  officers.  They 
were  willing  —  nay,  eager, —  to  fight ;  but  to  drag 
along  mile  after  mile  through  rain  and  mud,  with 
the  thermometer  standing  at  a  hundred  degrees  in 
the  shade,  was  something  for  which  nobody  had 
bargained. 

And  yet  all  felt  that  the  advance  upon  Pekin 
must  be  made  as  soon  as  possible.  The  foreigners 
congregated  in  the  compound  of  the  British  legation 
were  being  subjected  to  a  constant  bombardment  by 
the  Boxers  and  Chinese  troops;  and,  if  the  legation 
fell,  it  was  certain  that  every  man,  woman,  and  child 
would  be  killed,  and  perhaps  horribly  tortured.  Four 
hundred  and  fifteen  people  were  pent  up  in  the  com- 
pound ;  and  it  was  being  defended  by  three  hundred 
and  four  marines  and  eighty-five  volunteers,  all  under 
the  general  command  of  Captain  Poole,  of  the  British 
army.  Every  entrance  to  the  compound  was  strongly 
guarded ;  and  barricades  of  sand  and  salt  bags,  boxes, 
casks,  and  dirt,  were  everywhere  in  evidence. 

In  the  mean  time  the  attack  on  the  foreigners  had 
lasted  for  many  weeks,  and  the  greater  part  of  the 
foreign  settlement  in  the  Tartar  City  of  Pekin  was  in 


278  ON   TO  PEKIN 

ruins.  This  embraced  the  legations  of  the  various 
nations,  schools,  hospitals,  hotels,  and  some  very 
costly  residences.  Looting  went  on  by  day  and 
night,  and  the  torch  was  applied  on  every  hand. 
With  the  foreigners,  provisions  ran  low ;  but  all  they 
could  get  from  outside  were  a  few  melons.  Yet,  to  a 
man,  they  resolved  to  die  rather  than  to  give  up. 

With  the  missionaries  in  the  compound  was  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Wells,  the  gentleman  mentioned  in  Larry 
Russell's  letter,  a  devout  man  who  had  spent  much  of 
his  life  among  the  Chinese.  In  an  early  fight  at  the 
American  legation  the  missionary  had  been  struck  by 
a  bullet  in  the  left  arm,  and  he  now  carried  that 
member  in  a  sling.  But  he  was  just  as  enthusiastic 
as  the  rest  about  holding  out,  although  praying  night 
and  day  that  relief  might  be  no  longer  delayed. 


CHAPTER  XXVIH 

THE   FIGHT   BEFORE   PEKIN 

Pekin,  a  very  ancient  city  of  China,  is  in  extent 
about  the  size  of  Manhattan  Island,  upon  which  the 
city  of  New  York  is  situated.  It  is  located  thirteen 
miles  north-west  of  the  Pei-Ho,  with  which  it  is  con- 
nected by  the  Grand  Canal  and  other  watercourses. 

The  city  as  a  whole  is  divided  into  two  parts. 
On  the  north  is  the  Tartar  City,  containing  between 
fifteen  and  sixteen  square  miles  of  territory,  sur- 
rounded by  a  wall  fifty  to  sixty  feet  in  height  and 
twenty  to  fifty  feet  broad.  In  the  centre  of  the  Tar- 
tar City  is  the  Imperial  City,  surrounded  by  another 
wall,  where  live  the  princes,  nobles,  and  others  of 
high  degree ;  and  inside  of  this  is  the  Forbidden 
City,  where  the  Emperor  and  Dowager  Empress 
live  and  where  are  located  the  sacred  temples. 
The  Tartar  City  is  full  of  fine  buildings,  including 
the  public  offices,  National  and  Medical  Colleges, 
Observatory,  and  Examination  Hall,  the  latter  con- 

279 


280  ON   TO   PEKIN" 

taining  ten  thousand  cells  to  be  occupied  by  those 
who  come  to  Pekin  to  be  examined  as  to  their  quali- 
fications for  public  office-holding.  Many  of  the 
streets  of  the  Tartar  City  are  broad,  but  unpaved, 
and  lined  with  one-story  shops,  huddled  one  against 
another  and  painted  in  almost  all  the  colors  of  the 
rainbow. 

To  the  south  of  the  Tartar  City,  and  joining  it  by 
three  large  gateways,  is  the  Chinese  City,  about  half 
as  large  as  the  other,  and  enclosed  by  a  wall  thirty 
feet  high  and  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  broad.  This  is 
the  heart  of  the  real  Chinese  trade,  and  here  are  also 
located  the  theatres  and  the  public  execution  grounds. 
The  streets  literally  swarm  with  people,  and  are  in 
activity  day  and  night.  Nothing  is  ever  cleaned  up ; 
and  to  the  babble  of  noise,  which  is  nerve-wrecking, 
is  added  a  smell  which  to  a  new-comer's  nose  is  almost 
unbearable.  Beyond  the  walls  of  Pekin  as  a  whole 
are  many  suburbs,  of  more  or  less  importance,  chiefly 
devoted  to  agriculture. 

The  American,  British,  and  other  legations  in  Pekin 
are  located  closely  together,  on  Legation  Street,  mid- 
way between  the  southern  wall  of  the  Forbidden  and 
Imperial  City  and  the  northern  wall  of  the  Chinese 


THE  FIGHT  BEFORE   PEKIN  281 

City.  Each  legation  occupied  from  an  acre  to  five 
acres  of  ground,  and  was  surrounded  by  a  wall  with 
watch-gates.  During  the  bombardment  nearly  all 
these  walls  were  demolished,  only  those  around  the 
British  legation  remaining  intact.  Everything  was 
ripped  up  by  shot  or  shell,  and  rifle  bullets  peppered 
the  buildings  by  the  thousands.  It  is  said  that  one 
door  of  the  German  legation  contained  sixty-three 
bullet-holes,  and  that  another  at  the  American  lega- 
tion was  literally  splintered  into  toothpicks. 

Being  short  of  ammunition,  those  in  the  British  le- 
gation did  their  best  to  make  every  shot  tell ;  and,  as 
the  bombardment  went  on,  the  streets  outside  were 
filled  with  Chinese  dead  to  the  number  of  hundreds. 
Silver  candlesticks  were  melted  up,  and  made  into 
bullets,  and  an  old  cannon,  which  had  not  seen  service 
for  twenty  years,  was  repaired  by  several  army  engi- 
neers, and  made  to  do  excellent  work  against  the 
enemy. 

Among  those  who  believed  in  holding  out  to  the 
last  was  Rev.  Mr.  Wells.  "  I  am  willing  to  live 
upon  next  to  nothing,"  he  declared.  "And  I  will 
take  a  soldier's  place,  when  called  upon.  We  must 
hold  them  at  bay  until  relieved."     He  had  with  him 


282  ON   TO  PEKIN 

on  coming  into  the  compound  thirty-six  pieces  of 
silver ;  and  these  he  promptly  handed  over,  to  be  cast 
into  bullets.  This  was  paying  back  the  Chinese  in 
their  own  coin  with  a  vengeance. 

As  the  siege  went  on,  it  was  curious  to  see  how 
those  of  different  nationalities  became  attached  to 
each  other.  It  was  natural  for  the  Americans  and 
the  English  to  stick  together  from  the  start,  but  not 
so  for  the  Germans,  French,  Japanese,  and  others. 
But  soon,  when  the  peril  grew  greater,  racial  differ- 
ences were  forgotten ;  and  each  man  stood  shoulder 
to  shoulder  with  his  neighbor,  ready  to  do  or  die,  as 
the  case  might  require.  If  any  were  more  determined 
than  the  others,  they  were  the  Germans;  for  they 
could  not  forget  nor  forgive  the  foul  murder  of  their 
consul,  Baron  von  Ketteler,  who  had  been  shot  down 
while  making  an  official  visit  to  the  Tsung-li-Yamen. 

As  the  Allies  approached  the  capital,  the  bombard- 
ment of  the  British  legation  became  more  fierce  than 
ever;  and  placards  were  posted  throughout  the  Tar- 
tar City,  proclaiming  that  all  the  foreigners  must  be 
exterminated  within  five  days.  A  reward  was  of- 
fered for  each  foreign  head  taken ;  and  it  was  only 
the  timidity  of  the  common  Chinese  soldiers  which 


THE   FIGHT   BEFORE   PEKIN  283 

kept  them  from  rushing  in  by  the  thousands  to 
obtain  these  rewards. 

This  state  of  affairs  was  guessed  at  by  those 
marching  so  swiftly  to  the  relief ;  yet  nothing  was 
definitely  known,  and  it  was  feared  that  all  those 
pent  up  in  the  British  compound  would  be  killed 
before  their  friends  could  get  to  them. 

It  was  raining  furiously  when  Tung-Chow,  a 
suburb  of  Pekin,  was  gained  by  the  battalion  to 
which  Gilbert  belonged.  The  road  beside  the  canal 
was  knee-deep  in  water  and  mud;  and  everybody 
was  low  in  spirits,  and  almost  ready  to  drop  with 
exhaustion. 

"  It's  the  worst  campaign  I've  ever  seen,"  said  one 
English  officer  to  the  acting  captain  of  Company  A. 
"  We  hadn't  anything  in  South  Africa  to  compare 
with  it,  or  anything  in  Egypt,  either,"  he  added. 

"We  are  at  a  disadvantage  here,"  answered  Gil- 
bert. "  Only  a  few  of  our  transports  have  arrived, 
and  we  lack  both  men  and  supplies." 

"  Never  mind.  What  there  are  of  the  Americans 
are  doing  nobly,"  answered  the  Englishman.  "  I 
saw  you  fight  at  Tien-Tsin,  and  it  was  grand.  And, 
when  it  came  to  punishment,  you  took  it  like  men." 


284  ON  TO  PEKIN 

The  Japanese  and  Russians  came  first  upon  the 
Chinese  intrenched  just  beyond  Tung-Chow;  and  a 
sharp  skirmish  occurred,  lasting  the  best  part  of  two 
hours.  But,  as  soon  as  the  Japanese  tried  to  turn 
the  left  flank  of  the  enemy,  the  Celestials  fled  straight 
for  the  Chinese  City  of  Pekin,  leaving  the  battle 
ground  to  the  foreigners. 

A  conference  of  officers  was  now  held ;  and  it  was 
decided  that  Pekin  should  be  attacked  on  the  eastern 
side,  first  by  the  artillery,  and  then  by  the  infantry. 
The  Japanese  and  Russians  were  to  attack  north  of 
the  canal,  and  the  Americans,  English,  and  others 
south  of  that  watercourse.  The  attack  was  to  have 
begun  on  the  15th  of  August ;  but,  by  some  misun- 
derstanding, it  started  early  on  the  day  before,  while 
the  American  and  English  troops  were  not  yet  in 
position.  This  caused  the  Americans  a  forced  march 
of  twelve  miles  from  Tung-Chow  in  a  heat  which 
was  fairly  blistering. 

The  attack  by  the  Japanese  and  Russian  artillery 
was  terrific,  lasting  from  three  o'clock  in  the  morning 
until  five  in  the  afternoon.  The  eastern  gate  of  the 
city,  north  of  the  Tung-Chow  canal,  was  completely 
demolished;  and  then  the  Russians,  led  by  General 


THE  FIGHT  BEFORE  PEKIN  285 

Wasilewski,  rushed  through  and  up  to  the  top  of  the 
great  wall,  where  the  flag  of  Russia  was  planted, 
speedily  followed  by  the  banner  of  Japan.  But  the 
fight  was  not  yet  over.  It  lasted  far  into  the  night, 
and  the  loss  upon  both  sides  was  very  heavy. 

In  the  mean  time  the  English  troops  attacked  the 
south-east  gate  of  the  Chinese  City;  and,  not  being 
expected  there,  they  met  with  but  slight  resistance. 
Some  East  Indian  troops  led  the  way,  breaking  down 
the  gate  with  battering-rams.  The  troops  were  led 
by  Brigadier-general  Sir  Alfred  Gaselee ;  and,  as  soon 
as  they  were  inside  the  city,  they  seized  the  Temple 
of  Heaven  and  its  extensive  grounds,  and  then 
pushed  forward  through  the  torn-up  streets  toward 
the  legations.  At  three  in  the  afternoon  they 
reached  the  canal  opposite  the  water-gate,  and  sig- 
nalled to  those  within  the  British  compound.  A 
reply  was  speedily  forthcoming  for  them  to  enter 
through  the  water-gate,  and  this  they  did. 

But  during  all  this  time  our  friends  were  not  idle, 
and  what  they  did  will  be  told  in  the  chapter  to 
follow. 


CHAPTER   XXIX 

HOW   THE   BESIEGED   WEEE   RELIEVED 

"We  are  up  for  more  fighting  to-day,  Pennington." 

The  words  came  from  Major  Morris,  who  had  .just 
reached  Gilbert's  side.  Both  were  tired  out,  yet 
urging  the  soldiers  under  them  to  move  along  with 
all  possible  speed. 

"  It  seems  to  me  we  are  doing  more  walking  than 
fighting,"  answered  the  acting  captain  of  Company  A, 
with  a  grim  smile.  "A  pitched  battle  would  be 
something  of  a  relief." 

"  It's  a  pity  the  attack  has  already  started,"  went 
on  the  major,  earnestly,  "  Those  Japs  and  Russians 
are  bound  to  get  ahead,  it  seems." 

"What  has  become  of  the  English  troops,  major? 
I've  missed  them  for  the  last  half-hour." 

"They  are  somewhere  on  the  road.  They  are 
bound  to  get  ahead  of  us,  too,  if  they  can.  I  believe 
they  got  word  to  move  before  we  did." 

"  And  the  French  and  the  Germans  ?  " 
286 


HOW    THE    BESIEGED    WERE    RELIEVED         287 

"  Somewhere  on  the  road,  too,  so  I  heard  General 
Chaffee  say.  This  appears  to  he  a  sort  of  go-as-you- 
please  campaign.  Yet  it  is  wonderful  to  think  that 
none  of  the  Allies  have  had  a  falling  out.  Even  the 
French  and  Germans  get  along  well  together,  and 
they  are  usually  pretty  bitter." 

"  Where  are  we  to  attack  ?  " 

"  Somewhere  along  the  south-east  wall,  so  I  under- 
stand. If  we  can  get  through,  we  are  to  proceed 
straight  for  the  legations.  To  my  way  of  thinking, 
we  are  going  to  have  our  worst  righting  after  we  get 
into  Pekin,"  concluded  the  major. 

The  companies  were  swinging  along  doggedly, 
keeping  a  sharp  lookout  for  the  possible  appearance 
of  the  enemy.  Once  a  body  of  fifty  Chinese  did 
appear,  but  they  speedily  proved  themselves  Chris- 
tians and  friends.  They  had  been  sent  back  by  the 
Germans  for  supplies. 

"  I  don't  see  how  they  can  fight  their  own  country- 
men," observed  Gilbert  to  the  officer  who  was  acting 
as  his  first  lieutenant.     "  It  seems  unnatural." 

"  Well,  the  Chinese  are  not  all  of  one  race,  you 
know,"  was  the  answer.  "  Some  of  them  are  as 
different  as  our  people   are  from  the  Canadians  or 


288  ON    TO    PEKIN 

Mexicans.  They  speak  different  languages,  and  all 
their  social  customs  are  different.  One  old  traveller 
was  telling  me  that  some  Chinamen  don't  dare  to 
travel  in  the  districts  inhabited  by  other  Chinamen, 
and  such  a  thing  as  emigrating  from  one  province  to 
another  is  almost  unknown.  You  see,  all  that  makes 
a  big  difference." 

As  the  troops  neared  Pekin,  the  booming  of  the 
artillery  could  be  heard  distinctly ;  and  Major  Morris's 
battalion  was  yet  a  mile  away  from  the  great  wall  of 
the  Chinese  City,  when  there  came  the  whining  of  a 
shell  overhead.  The  shell,  however,  burst  far  in 
their  rear,  doing  no  damage. 

"  Forward  on  the  double-quick ! "  was  the  order 
issued ;  and,  as  tired  as  they  were,  the  troops  started 
to  obey.  In  the  command  was  a  young  bugler  named 
Calvin  Titus,  an  enthusiastic  fellow  who  had  served 
in  the  Vermont  volunteers  during  the  war  with 
Spain.  Regardless  of  all  danger,  he  went  on  ahead, 
and,  reaching  the  wall  of  the  city,  was  the  first  to 
gain  the  top  and  lower  a  rope  for  the  assistance  of 
his  comrades. 

"  The  British  are  just  ahead  of  us ! "  was  the  cry 
which   presently   reached    Gilbert's   ears;  and  then 


HOW   THE   BESIEGED   WERE    RELIEVED         289 

came  an  order  to  Major  Morris,  directing  that  the 
battalion  be  taken  to  the  left,  where  a  company  of 
Chinese  sharpshooters,  located  in  a  watch  tower  on 
the  wall,  were  trying  to  pick  off  the  troops'  officers. 

"  Forward,  boys !  "  shouted  the  major,  waving  his 
sword.  "Do  your  best  for  the  honor  of  Old 
Glory  1" 

"  Forward ! "  repeated  Gilbert,  leading  his  company 
in  the  rush.  "  Give  it  to  'em,  and  make  every  bullet 
tell !      We  can't  afford  to  lose  our  ammunition." 

His  last  words  were  drowned  out  by  the  cracking 
of  rifles,  followed  by  the  roar  of  some  artillery  placed 
not  far  distant.  Soon  the  air  was  filled  with  smoke 
and  dust.  As  the  command  got  closer  to  the  wall, 
they  heard  plainly  the  yelling  of  the  Chinese. 
Within  the  city  the  din  was  terrific. 

"Here  is  a  way  up,"  came  from  Major  Morris,  who 
was  close  to  Gilbert.  He  had  espied  a  breach  in  the 
wall,  made  by  some  artillery  hours  before.  The 
breach  formed  something  of  a  series  of  steps ;  and  up 
these  went  the  men  of  Company  A,  with  Gilbert 
still  leading  them.  The  sharpshooters  in  the  tower 
saw  them  approaching,  and  turned  a  galling  fire  in 
the  direction,  laying  several  low. 


290  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"  The  watch  tower ! "  yelled  Gilbert,  in  order  to 
make  himself  heard  above  the  noise  and  confusion. 
"  The  watch  tower,  boys  !     We  must  root  'em  out." 

"  We  will !  "  came  in  a  wild  cry.  "  Down  with 
the  Chinks!     Come  on!     All  together!" 

And  away  went  what  was  left  of  the  company,  up 
to  the  very  top  of  the  wall,  and  then  around  to  the 
entrance  of  the  watch  tower.  The  sharpshooters 
saw  them  come,  and  felt  that  they  must  soon  be  sur- 
rounded and  cut  off  from  support.  Down  they 
dropped  from  floor  to  floor  of  the  tower  with  the 
agility  of  acrobats,  and  started  to  run  down  the  slope 
leading  into  the  Chinese  City. 

"  Company  halt !  "  commanded  Gilbert.  "  Take 
aim !  Fire  ! "  And  a  solid  volley  was  poured  into 
the  fleeing  Celestials,  bringing  fully  one-half  of  them 
to  earth.  The  others  were  speedily  swallowed  up  in 
the  street  below. 

From  his  commanding  position  on  the  top  of  the 
wall,  Gilbert  could  now  see  a  sight  the  like  of  which 
he  had  never  before  witnessed,  and  which,  he  felt,  he 
should  never  see  again.  As  far  as  eye  could  reach, 
the  streets  below,  crooked,  narrow,  and  filthy,  were 
filled  with  Chinese  soldiers  and  citizens,  women  and 


HOW   THE   BESIEGED   WERE   RELIEVED         291 

children,  rushing  hither  and  thither,  shouting,  crying, 
and  pushing  each  other  out  of  the  way.  Many  men 
and  women  carried  their  household  effects  on  their 
backs ;  and  they  tramped  heartlessly  over  those  who 
had  gone  down,  wounded  or  killed.  The  discharge 
of  artillery  had  set  fire  to  scores  of  buildings,  and  the 
swirling  smoke  and  the  crackling  of  the  flames  added 
to  the  horror  of  the  spectacle.  Over  by  the  Temple 
of  Heaven  some  British  cavalry  and  Punjab  infantry 
were  scattering  the  crowds  which  had  come  there 
hoping  to  find  a  place  of  safety,  the  cavalry  literally 
riding  over  the  masses  when  they  refused  to  move. 
Further  on  was  another  British  detachment,  making 
for  the  water-gate  opposite  to  the  legations  in  the 
Tartar  City. 

But  now  was  no  time  to  view  even  such  a  fascinat- 
ing sight;  and,  leaving  the  wall,  Gilbert  ordered  his 
company  to  rejoin  the  remainder  of  the  battalion, 
which  was  following  the  British  troops  through  the 
gate.  Soon  the  grounds  of  the  Temple  of  Heaven 
were  gained;  and  the  company  stopped  for  a  brief 
rest,  the  Chinese  having  in  the  mean  while  fled  in 
all  directions. 

The  English,  followed  by  the  Americans,  were  now 


292  ON   TO  PEKIN 

making  for  the  central  gate  of  the  Tartar  City,  the 
gate  nearest  to  the  legations ;  for  from  the  wall  here 
the  Celestials  could  command  both  the  legations  and 
the  forces  of  the  approaching  Allies. 

But  this  attack  was  anticipated  by  the  Americans 
and  the  Russians  in  the  British  compound ;  and  a  dar- 
ing rush  by  the  American  marines,  followed  by  the 
soldiers  of  the  Czar,  speedily  put  the  Chinese  to 
flight,  with  the  loss  of  many  men.  Some  of  the 
flying  Chinese  were  confronted  by  Major  Morris's 
command,  and  another  skirmish  resulted;  but  this 
was  of  short  duration.  As  soon  as  the  gate  had 
fallen,  two  field-pieces  were  brought  in,  and  taken  to 
the  British  compound.  Other  field-pieces  were  taken 
to  the  grounds  of  the  Temple  of  Heaven,  which 
afterward  became  a  camping-spot  for  the  British 
and  for  some  of  the  Americans. 

Arriving  at  the  Tartar  wall  opposite  the  legations, 
the  American  troops  were  told  to  follow  the  British 
through  the  canal  gate,  and  were  soon  at  the  entrance 
to  the  compound.  Here  men,  women,  and  children 
ran  out  to  greet  them,  some  fairly  embracing  the 
soldiers  who  had  suffered  so  much  in  order  to  get  to 
their  relief. 


HOW   THE   BESIEGED   WEBE   BELIEVED        293 

"We  have  waited  for  you  for  fifty-six  days,"  ex- 
claimed the  Rev.  Mr.  Wells.  "  God  be  thanked  that 
you  have  come  I " 

"  Americans,  cheer  your  flag ! "  shouted  Mr.  Tewks- 
bury,  the  missionary ;  and  then  came  a  loud  hurrah, 
in  which  not  only  the  Americans,  but  many  others 
joined.  Then  came  more  cheering,  for  the  English, 
French,  Germans,  and  others ;  and,  as  night  drew  on, 
camp-fires  were  lit  in  honor  of  the  occasion,  and  the 
missionaries  and  others  gathered  around  and  sang  the 
Doxology,  and  praised  God  that  the  long  and  perilous 
siege  was  a  thing  of  the  past. 

But  the  work  for  the  troops  was  not  yet  over,  and 
Gilbert  was  allowed  to  remain  at  the  compound  only 
a  short  time.  Yet  he  managed  to  hunt  up  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Wells. 

"Larry  Russell  wrote  to  me  about  you,"  he  said. 
"  I  am  glad  that  you  are  well." 

"  I  am  thankful  to  have  you  come  to  our  aid,"  re- 
plied the  missionary.  "It  is  a  glorious  victory. 
What  are  you  going  to  do  next  ?  " 

"  We  are  ordered  to  the  gate  of  the  Imperial  City. 
We  shan't  stop  until  we  have  gained  the  Forbidden 
City,  and  brought  the  Chinese  thoroughly  to  terms." 


294  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"  I  see.  Well,  that  is  right,  I  presume ;  yet  war 
is  an  awful  thing."  The  missionary  paused.  "  It 
was  kind  of  Larry  Russell  to  think  of  me.  He  is  a 
fine  lad." 

"  He  is  all  right,  and  so  are  all  of  the  Russells," 
replied  Gilbert.  Then  he  shook  hands  with  Rev. 
Mr.  Wells,  and  hurried  off. 

The  artillery  was  already  smashing  the  yellow 
roofs  of  the  Imperial  City  when  he  again  reached  the 
firing  line;  and  this  continued  until  night  closed 
down  on  the  scene  of  carnage. 

In  the  morning  the  attack  was  renewed  with  vigor, 
a  battery  of  the  Fifth  United  States  Artillery  sending 
shell  after  shell  into  the  south  gate  of  the  Imperial 
City.  A  Gatling  gun,  also,  did  excellent  work ;  and 
by  noon  the  Americans,  including  the  Fourteenth  Reg- 
iment and  the  Ninth  Mounted  Infantry,  had  pene- 
trated through  four  gates  into  the  Forbidden  City, 
and  were  at  the  doors  of  the  Purple  Palace.  The  fight- 
ing was  very  severe ;  and  a  number  of  Americans 
were  killed,  including  Captain  Reilly  of  Battery  F. 
By  this  onslaught  the  Chinese  were  utterly  demoral- 
ized, and  fled  in  all  directions,  the  guards  of  the 
inner  palace  throwing  themselves  upon  the  mercy  of 


HOW   THE   BESIEGED   WERE   BELIEVED         295 

their  conquerors.  Late  in  the  afternoon  a  conference 
of  generals  was  held,  at  which  it  was  decided  that 
the  object  of  the  mission  had  been  accomplished, 
and  the  Chinese  had  been  punished  enough;  and 
then  the  Americans  returned  to  their  camp  outside 
of  the  Tartar  City. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

THE   BURNING   OF   THE   PRISON 

Foe,  several  days  after  the  Americans  had  attacked 
the  Forbidden  City,  Gilbert's  command  had  little  to 
do  but  to  guard  one  of  the  palaces. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Japanese  and  the  Russians 
were  after  the  Emperor  and  Dowager  Empress,  who 
were  said  to  have  fled  first  to  one  city  and  then 
another.  But  the  royal  family  had  taken  time  by 
the  forelock,  and  could  not  be  overtaken. 

Looting  had  already  begun  in  Pekin,  and  but 
little  could  be  done  to  stop  it  while  the  fighting 
still  continued.  The  scenes  which  had  been  en- 
acted at  Tien-Tsin  were  here  repeated  on  a  larger 
scale;  and  acres  of  buildings  were  first  emptied 
of  everything  valuable,  and  then  given  over  to  the 
flames. 

As  nearly  the  whole  of  China  was  now  anxious 
for  peace,  it  was  thought  at  first  to  leave  the  For- 
bidden City   alone.     But  this   the  Celestials  would 

296 


THE   BURNING   OF   THE   PRISON  297 

have  taken  as  a  sign  of  weakness  upon  the  part  of 
the  Allies ;  and  it  was  later  on  decided  to  open  the 
great  palace,  and  allow  a  detachment  from  each 
foreign  nation  to  march  through  it,  as  a  sign  that 
the  foreigners  were  absolute  masters  of  the  situation. 
This  was  done,  after  which  the  palace  was  locked  up, 
and  the  grounds  closely  guarded  against  all  van- 
dalism. 

It  was  less  than  two  weeks  after  the  fall  of  Pekin 
when  Gilbert  received  a  letter  which  filled  him  with 
interest.  It  was  from  Mrs.  Bartlett,  and  ran  as 
follows :  — 

"  Bear  Lieutenant, —  You  will  be  surprised  to  hear 
from  me,  but  I  feel  that  I  must  let  you  know  what 
has  happened  since  your  absence. 

"  A  few  days  after  you  left  Tien-Tsin,  the  guard 
at  our  house  was  disturbed  by  a  midnight  intruder, 
who  was  at  my  husband's  desk,  ransacking  his  private 
papers.  The  guard  called  upon  the  man  to  sur- 
render, and  with  bad  grace  the  intruder  did  so ;  and 
he  proved  to  be  —  would  you  believe  it  possible  ?  — 
Nuglich  Polk ! 

"Mr.  Polk  was  at  my  husband's  papers,  trying  to 


298  ON   TO  PEKIN 

steal  the  stock  certificates  of  the  Richmond  Import- 
ing Company.  He  begged  to  be  let  go,  but  I  would 
not  listen  to  it ;  and  he  is  now  in  the  jail  here,  await- 
ing trial. 

"When  Mr.  Polk  was  searched,  we  found  upon 
his  person  a  number  of  papers,  also  some  letters  from 
his  father,  which  prove  conclusively  that  father  and 
son  were  trying  to  defraud  my  husband  out  of  what 
is  rightfully  coming  to  him  from  the  company. 
Among  the  letters  there  was  also  one  from  Taku, 
written  by  a  Jerry  Nickerson,  and  speaking  of  your 
case  against  the  Polks.  I  think  this  communication 
makes  it  clear  that  the  Polks  are  becoming  afraid  of 
you;  and  that  must  mean  that  Ramsey  Polk  de- 
frauded your  father,  just  as  you  supposed  was  the 
case. 

"  When  Nuglich  Polk  was  captured,  he  claimed  to 
be  suffering  from  a  fever.  Whether  this  is  so  or  not, 
I  cannot  say;  but  it  is  certainly  a  fact  that  life  in 
prison  is  doing  him  no  good. 

"When  you  get  the  time,  I  shall  be  pleased  to  have 
you  call  upon  us ;  and  I  will  then  show  you  the 
letters  I  have  mentioned,  and  which  Major  Gilson  has 
kindly  allowed  me  to  retain.     It   may  be   to   your 


THE  BUENING  OF   THE  PRISON  299 

interest  to  call  upon  Nuglich  Polk.     You  will  find 
him  in  Ward  8  of  the  prison. 

"  My  husband  is  doing  very  well,  and  hopes  to  be 
around  again  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks.  We  are 
glad  to  learn  that  Pekin  has  fallen,  and  hope  that  a 
permanent  peace  will  soon  follow." 

"  They  have  cornered  him  at  last !  "  murmured  Gil- 
bert, after  reading  the  communication  carefully.  "  I 
wish  I  could  get  to  Tien-Tsin  and  see  that  letter." 

His  wish  to  get  to  Tien-Tsin  was  gratified  the 
very  next  day.  A  detachment  of  troops  was  going 
down  the  river,  and  Gilbert  was  placed  in  charge. 
Although  the  country  was  still  filled  with  Chinese, 
the  trip  was  made  without  special  incident ;  and  the 
acting  captain  of  Company  A  found  himself  in  Tien- 
Tsin  at  nightfall  the  next  day,  and  not  many  blocks 
distant  from  the  prison  Mrs.  Bartlett  had  mentioned. 

Looting  had  long  ago  stopped  in  the  city,  and 
all  was  comparatively  quiet.  Yet,  as  Gilbert  walked 
in  the  direction  of  the  prison  (being  half  of  a  mind 
to  visit  Nuggy  Polk  before  calling  upon  the  Bartletts, 
who  lived  a  good  mile  away),  he  noticed  several 
soldiers  and  citizens  running  in  excitement. 


300  ON  TO  PEKIN 

"What's  the  matter?"  he  asked  of  one  of  the 
soldiers,  a  slim  little  Frenchman. 

"  Zare  ees  a  fire  down  zat  way,"  answered  the 
Frenchman,  pointing  with  his  hand.  "  Ze  guard  say- 
it  ees  ze  prison  zat  is  burning." 

"  The  prison  1 "  exclaimed  Gilbert. 

"  So  ze  guard  say.  I  run,  and  I  see  for  my  own 
eyes."  And  the  little  Frenchman  ran  off  as  fast  as 
his  legs  would  carry  him. 

"Well,  I  guess  I'll  see  for  'my  own  eyes,'  too," 
muttered  Gilbert,  and  also  put  on  a  burst  of  speed, 
which  speedily  took  him  past  the  man  who  had  given 
him  the  information.  By  the  time  the  second  square 
was  passed,  the  young  lieutenant  saw  the  prison 
building  quite  plainly,  and  saw  that  it  was  blazing 
fiercely  at  one  end  and  in  the  front. 

A  strong  wind  was  blowing;  and,  unless  this 
shifted,  it  was  easy  to  see  that  the  entire  structure 
would  be  doomed.  The  thick  black  smoke  was 
curling  from  every  window ;  and  the  very  street  was 
so  full  that  the  fire  brigade  could  do  little  or 
nothing. 

"Have  they  got  the  prisoners  out?"  asked  Gilbert 
of  one  of  the  firemen. 


THE   BUENING   OF   THE   PRISON  301 

"Got  some  of  'em  out,"  was  the  answer.  "We 
couldn't  get  at  the  others:  the  smoke  was  too 
thick." 

"  Where  are  the  prisoners  ?  " 

"  Under  guard,  in  the  compound  in  the  rear." 

Without  the  loss  of  a  moment,  Gilbert  ran  around 
to  the  compound.  At  least  sixty  prisoners  were 
there,  some  of  the  wounded  lying  upon  the  ground 
and  improvised  couches.  He  looked  them  all  over, 
but  saw  nothing  of  Nuggy  Polk. 

"  I  am  looking  for  a  man  who  was  in  Ward  8,"  he 
said  to  one  of  the  prison  guards.  "His  name  was 
Nuglich  Polk,  and  he  was  an  American." 

"We  couldn't  get  anybody  out  of  Ward  8,"  was 
the  answer,  after  a  glance  at  Gilbert's  uniform. 
"That  ward  is  up  there,  and  the  smoke  kept  us 
out." 

The  young  lieutenant  made  out  the  corner  of  the 
building  to  which  the  guard  alluded.  An  outside 
stairway  led  to  that  section  of  the  structure,  a  stair- 
way which  but  a  moment  before  had  been  surrounded 
by  smoke.  But  now  came  a  puff  of  wind,  and  the 
smoke  was  sent  flying  in  the  opposite  direction. 

"Give  me  a  key  —  I  am  going  to  look  for  that 


302  ON   TO   PEKIN 

man ! "  cried  Gilbert.  "  It's  a  shame  to  let  anybody 
die  like  a  rat  in  a  trap." 

"  That's  so,  lieutenant.     But  the  danger  — " 

"  I'll  risk  it.     Give  me  the  key." 

"I'll  go  with  you,"  returned  the  guard.  "I  see 
the  wind  is  shifting." 

"  Then  come ! "  And  away  went  Gilbert  for  the 
stairs.  Some  few  who  saw  the  action  cheered,  but 
others  shook  their  heads. 

"It's  foolhardy,"  said  the  head-keeper.  "If  the 
wind  drives  back,  he'll  be  lost,  sure.  Grimes,  better 
stay  here." 

"  I  said  I'll  go,  and  I  will,"  answered  Grimes,  the 
assistant.  He  had  been  in  charge  of  Ward  8,  and 
felt  he  must  do  what  he  could  for  the  unfortunates 
who  were  locked  up. 

It  took  Gilbert  but  a  few  seconds  to  reach  the  sec- 
ond floor  of  the  prison.  The  door  at  the  top  of  the 
outside  staircase  was  open,  and  he  plunged  into  the 
corridor  beyond.  Here  the  smoke  was  still  thick, 
and  he  had  to  pause  to  locate  his  surroundings. 

"  To  the  left !  "  shouted  Grimes.  "  The  prisoners 
are  in  the  last  two  rooms.  Better  bend  down  —  the 
smoke  won't  affect  you  so  much." 


THE  BURNING   OF   THE   PRISON  303 

To  find  his  way  through  the  narrow  corridor  was 
no  easy  matter,  and  Gilbert  was  soon  suffering  for 
the  want  of  pure  air.  He,  however,  gained  the  first 
of  the  two  rooms  mentioned  in  safety;  and  on  his 
heels  came  Grimes. 

"  Help !  help !  Let  us  out ! "  came  in  the  voices 
of  two  men,  a  Russian  and  a  German ;  and  the  door 
was  quickly  unlocked.  The  men  leaped  out  like 
wild  beasts,  hurling  Grimes  flat  in  their  eagerness 
to  escape. 

"  Now  the  other  door  1 "  said  Gilbert,  in  a  hoarse 
whisper,  so  thick  was  the  smoke  in  his  throat ;  but 
Grimes  was  too  dazed  to  answer,  and,  rising,  the 
keeper  ran  after  the  pair  who  had  just  been  liberated. 

Gilbert  was  going  after  him,  when  his  foot  touched 
sometning  and  sent  it  spinning  against  a  side  wall. 
It  was  a  prison  key,  the  one  Grimes  had  dropped. 
Hurriedly  he  picked  it  up,  and  ran  for  the  last  room 
at  the  end  of  the  corrider. 

Here  were  three  men  fighting  madly  to  pull  down 
the  iron  barrier  with  their  bare  hands,  while  a  fourth 
was  at  the  window  bars.  "  Let  us  out !  "  cried  one, 
in  broken  English.     "  Do  not  let  us  roast  to  death ! " 

"  I  will  open  the  door,"  answered  Gilbert.     "  Stand 


304  ON   TO   PEKIN 

back ! "  And  he  thrust  the  key  into  the  lock.  It  did 
not  fit  very  well,  and  all  the  time  he  was  trying  to 
turn  it  the  men  continued  to  shriek  and  dance 
around  like  maniacs.  At  last  the  bolt  slipped  back ; 
and  out  came  the  men  pell-mell,  the  fellow  from  the 
window  following  the  three  others. 

"  Is  Nuggy  Polk  here  ?  "  cried  Gilbert ;  but  none 
of  the  men  answered  him,  and  an  instant  later  he 
found  himself  alone  in  the  corridor,  which  was  again 
filling  with  smoke  as  the  wind  shifted  once  more. 

Gilbert  was  on  the  point  of  abandoning  the  search, 
when  it  came  to  his  mind  to  take  one  look  into  the 
ward  before  leaving  it.  Quickly  he  sprang  past  the 
door,  and  his  eyes  swept  over  the  couches  and  the 
corners  of  the  apartment.  Nobody  was  there ;  and 
then  his  eyes  travelled  to  a  small  side  window,  open- 
ing upon  what  was  a  small  balcony.  But  this  bal- 
cony was  now  barred  from  use. 

A  cry  of  horror  escaped  the  young  lieutenant.  At 
the  window  was  Nuggy  Polk.  The  young  man  had 
tried  to  escape  by  crowding  between  two  of  the  bars. 
His  neck  had  been  caught  in  the  opening ;  and,  with 
his  head  on  one  side  and  his  body  on  the  other,  he 
was  a  close  prisoner. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

GILBERT  RETURNS   GOOD  FOR  EVIL 

"Nuggy  Polk!"  gasped  Gilbert;  and  for  an  in- 
stant  he  could  say  no  more. 

"  Sa  —  save  me ! "  panted  the  prisoner.  "  Don't 
let  me  bu  —  burn  up !  " 

"I  will  do  what  I  can  for  you,"  answered  the 
young  lieutenant. 

He  leaped  to  the  window,  and  took  hold  of  the 
bars.  They  were  an  inch  thick,  and  resisted  every 
effort  he  made  to  bend  them.  He  examined  the 
sockets,  to  find  each  solidly  imbedded  in  the  stones 
of  the  window  frame. 

"  Break  them  —  somehow !  "  pleaded  Nuggy  Polk. 
"  O  Pennington,  please  don't  leave  me ! " 

"  I'll  do  what  I  can  for  you,  Polk." 

Again  Gilbert  glanced  around  the  apartment.  The 
smoke  was  so  thick  he  could  see  but  little,  and  it 
made  the  tears  flow  down  his  cheeks  in  a  stream. 
At  the  opposite  end  of  the  prison  the  flames  crackled 
fiercely,  and  they  were  swiftly  coming  closer.     What- 

305 


306  ON  TO  PEKIN 

ever  was  to  be  done  must  be  done  quickly,  or  it 
would  be  too  late. 

His  eyes  rested  on  the  iron  end  of  a  cot ;  and  as 
quickly  as  possible  he  smashed  the  bed  apart,  and 
caught  up  one  of  the  side  pieces.  Using  this  as  a 
lever,  he  pried  upon  one  of  the  bars  of  the  window, 
and  after  great  effort  succeeded  in  bending  it  several 
inches. 

"Now  try  to  pull  in  your  head,  Polk,"  he  said, 
and  helped  the  young  man.  Even  yet  it  was  a  tight 
squeeze,  but  the  deed  was  accomplished  with  no 
further  harm  to  the  young  man  than  a  badly 
scratched  ear. 

But  just  as  Nuggy  was  freed  there  came  a  strong 
rush  of  wind  and  a  cloud  of  smoke  which  enveloped 
both  like  a  sheet.  The  fire  was  coming  up  the  cor- 
ridor, and  had  already  reached  the  stairway  by  which 
Gilbert  had  ascended  to  the  ward. 

"  Wha  —  what  shall  we  do  next  ?  "  groaned  Nuggy. 
"We  are  lost !  Oh,  Heaven  help  us ! "  And,  too 
weak  to  stand  longer,  he  sank  on  his  knees,  and  then 
went  into  a  heap  on  the  floor. 

"  Come,  this  won't  do ! "  cried  Gilbert,  and  caught 
the  young  man  by  the  arm.     "We  must  get  out — 


GILBERT  RETURNS   GOOD   FOR  EVIL  307 

we  simply  mustl"  But  Nuggy  did  not  hear  him, 
for  he  had  fainted. 

Leaving  the  young  man  on  the  floor,  Gilbert  ran 
toward  the  corridor.  A  glance  told  him  that  escape 
at  the  further  end  was  cut  off  completely.  He 
looked  at  the  ward  opposite,  a  door  of  which  stood 
wide  open.  Beyond  was  a  window  opening  upon  a 
narrow  court-yard,  a  spot  the  fire  had  not  yet  touched. 

Gilbert  ran  to  the  window,  to  find  a  number  of  the 
bars  gone.     In  the  court-yard  he  saw  several  firemen. 

"Get  a  ladder!"  he  called  out.  "A  ladder, 
quick !     There  are  two  of  us  up  here ! " 

His  words  were  not  understood  by  the  natives,  but 
they  were  understood  by  a  German  in  the  crowd; 
and  he  quickly  translated  them,  and  a  rush  was  made 
for  a  bamboo  ladder. 

In  the  mean  time  Gilbert  had  crawled  back  to 
where  he  had  left  Nuggy.  He  could  scarcely 
breathe,  and  was  afraid  that  each  moment  might 
prove  his  last. 

"  Come ! "  he  said  to  the  young  man,  who  had 
opened  his  eyes  in  a  dazed  way.  "  Be  quick !  It  is 
our  only  chance." 

"We    are   doomed,"  moaned  Nuggy.     "Oh,  why 


308  ON   TO   PEKIN 

did  I  ever  come  to  China!  This  comes  of  doing 
wrong.  Heaven  forgive  me  1 "  And  again  he  sank 
back,  too  weak  and  terror-stricken  to  do  anything 
for  himself. 

The  position  was  so  full  of  peril  Gilbert  hardly 
knew  what  to  do.  The  flames  were  close  at  hand, 
and  in  a  minute  more  escape  would  be  impossible. 
For  one  brief  instant  he  thought  to  leave  Nuggy 
Polk  to  his  fate.     Then  he  grated  his  teeth. 

"  I'll  save  him,  anyway,"  he  thought  grimly ;  and, 
unable  to  lift  the  linip  form,  he  caught  Nuggy  by  the 
collar,  and  literally  dragged  him  over  the  floor  and 
into  the  corridor.  Here  a  hot  blast  came  up,  and 
made  him  stagger.  The  sparks,  flying  in  all  direc- 
tions, burnt  his  neck  and  hands.  But  still  he  did 
not  let  go ;  and  the  next  moment  he  was  at  the  win- 
dow of  the  opposite  ward  with  Nuggy  in  his  arms. 

A  ladder  was  coming,  but  it  was  not  yet  there; 
and  the  few  seconds  to  follow  were  trying  in  the  ex- 
treme. The  smoke  poured  toward  the  window,  and 
the  flames  came  licking  in  at  the  door. 

"  Hurry  up  ! "  gasped  Gilbert.  "  Hurry !  The 
flames  are  right  behind  us." 

Then  the  ladder  came,  and  a  dozen  men  hoisted  it 


I'll  save  him  anyway,"  he  thought.  —  Page  308. 


GILBERT   RETURNS   GOOD   FOR   EVIL  309 

up  to  the  window.  How  he  got  outside  with  Nuggy 
in  his  arms,  Gilbert  could  never  tell  afterward.  He 
tried  to  descend,  but  his  head  swam  around  like  a 
top ;  and  all  he  could  do  was  to  hold  on  where  he 
was. 

"  We're  coming.  Don't  move ! "  said  a  voice 
below  him;  and  in  a  second  his  burden  was  taken 
from  him.  Then,  as  he  felt  his  senses  going,  he 
slipped  down  the  ladder,  struck  among  a  crowd  of 
people,  and  for  the  moment  knew  no  more. 

When  Gilbert  recovered,  he  found  himself  sitting 
on  a  bench  in  the  rear  of  the  prison  yard,  and  several 
American  soldiers  in  attendance  upon  him. 

"  Lieutenant,  you  had  a  close  call,"  said  one  of  the 
soldiers.  "  Another  minute,  and  it  would  have  been 
all  over  with  you." 

"  Yes,  I  know  it,"  answered  Gilbert,  as  he  drew  a 
deep  breath.     "I  —  I  feel  rather  queer  yet." 

"I  should  think  so!  Better  take  it  easy  for  a 
while." 

"I'll  have  to,  sergeant.  What  of  that  man  I 
brought  out  ?  " 

"  He's  in  a  bad  way,  lieutenant.  Reckon  he  was 
sick,  wasn't  he?" 


310  ON   TO   PEKIN 

"So  I  believe.  But  he'll  pull  through,  won't 
he?" 

"Yes,  he'll  pull  through,"  put  in  another  voice, 
and  a  surgeon  strode  up.  "  Can  I  do  anything  for 
you,  lieutenant  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  that  you  can.  I  think  after  I  have 
had  a  wash-up  I'll  feel  better." 

The  surgeon  wished,  however,  to  do  all  he  could, 
and  gave  Gilbert  a  dose  of  medicine  to  counteract 
the  effect  of  the  smoke  which  the  young  lieutenant 
had  inhaled.  Inside  of  half  an  hour  Gilbert  felt 
quite  like  himself  once  more,  though  somewhat 
shaky  in  the  lower  limbs. 

Nuggy  Polk  had  been  taken  to  a  neighboring 
building,  which  had  been  transformed  into  a  tempo- 
rary hospital  for  such  of  the  prisoners  as  were  sick. 
When  Gilbert  got  there,  he  found  the  young  man 
in  a  doze ;  and  he  was  advised  not  to  disturb  him. 

"  He  has  been  sick,  and  this  affair  has  made  him 
worse,"  said  the  prison  doctor,  in  broken  English. 
"  Better  let  him  rest."    And  Gilbert  agreed. 

An  hour  later  found  the  acting  captain  of  Com- 
pany A  at  the  home  of  the  Bartletts,  where  a  warm 
welcome  awaited  him.     He  found  Amos  Bartlett  in 


GILBERT   RETURNS    GOOD   TOR   EVIL  311 

an  easy-chair,  propped  up  by  hair  pillows.  The  old 
tea-merchant  was  glad  to  see  him. 

"  I  am  much  better,  thank  you,"  he  said  in  answer 
to  Gilbert's  query.  "  I  seem  to  have  come  out  of  a 
bad  dream." 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  it,"  returned  the  young  lieu- 
tenant. "  You  must  take  it  easy  for  a  while,  though, 
both  in  body  and  in  mind." 

"  My  mind  is  easy,  thanks  to  what  the  insurance 
companies  have  promised  to  do  and  what  my  wife 
has  found  out  about  the  Richmond  Importing  Com- 
pany. I  presume  she  has  told  you  of  what  Nuglich 
Polk  tried  to  do." 

"  I  will  tell  him  later  on,  Amos,"  put  in  the  wife. 
"  But  now  you  must  rest."  And  she  beckoned  Gil- 
bert from  the  room. 

A  long  talk  between  Mrs.  Bartlett,  Jennie,  and 
Gilbert  followed;  and  the  young  lieutenant  was 
shown  the  papers  taken  from  Nuggy  Polk,  which  he 
perused  with  keen  interest.  Then  he  told  of  the 
affair  at  the  prison,  but  modestly  refused  to  relate 
how  much  of  a  hero  he  had  been. 

"  Somehow,  I  think  Nuggy  Polk  will  be  a  better 
fellow  after  this,"   he    concluded.     "He   has   been 


312  ON   TO   PEKIN 

brought  face  to  face  with  death,  and  that  often 
makes  a  difference  in  a  man." 

"I  hope  he  does  turn  over  a  new  leaf,"  answered 
Mrs.  Bartlett. 

The  young  lieutenant  was  invited  to  remain  at  the 
Bartletts'  home  over  night,  but  could  not  do  so,  as  it 
was  his  duty  to  return  to  the  troops  he  had  accom- 
panied from  Pekin.  He  had  no  time  off  again  for 
two  days,  when  he  got  a  leave  of  absence  for  three 
hours,  and  went  over  to  the  new  prison  to  see  how 
Nuggy  Polk  was  faring. 

A  change  had  indeed  come  over  the  young  man, — 
a  change  so  startling  that  Gilbert  was  almost  dum- 
founded.  Nuggy' s  face  was  pinched  and  white,  and 
there  was  a  look  in  his  eyes  which  gave  him  the 
appearance  of  being  haunted.  He  stared  wildly  at 
the  young  lieutenant. 

"So  it  was  you  who  saved  me?"  he  said  in  a 
strangely  unnatural  voice.     "  I  can't  believe  it !  " 

"And  why  not,  Polk?"  asked  Gilbert,  as  he  sat 
down  beside  the  bed. 

«  Why  not  ?  Why  should  you  save  me  —  after  all 
I  did  against  you  ?  " 

"I  wasn't   thinking   of  that.     I  was  thinking  of 


GILBERT   RETURNS    GOOD   FOR    EVIL  313 

saving  a  fellow  -  being  who  couldn't  save  himself. 
Not  to  have  done  as  I  did  would  have  been 
inhuman." 

"  You  risked  your  life  for  mine !  " 

"  Perhaps  I  did.  But  let  us  pass  that  over,  and 
talk  of  something  else.     How  do  you  feel  now?" 

"I  am  sick  —  I  was  sick  before  the  fire.  This 
climate  has  knocked  out  my  stomach." 

Gilbert  was  on  the  point  of  asking  if  liquor  had 
not  had  as  much  to  do  with  it  as  the  climate,  but 
wisely  refrained.  "  You  want  to  take  care  of  your- 
self in  the  future,"  he  remarked.  "  Be  very  careful 
of  what  you  eat  and  drink." 

"  I  shall  be  careful.  I'm  not  going  to  drink  any 
more, —  at  least,  not  as  I've  been  in  the  habit  of 
drinking.  But,  Pennington,  I  want  to  talk  to  you. 
As  I  said  before,  I  can't  understand  why  you  risked 
your  life  for  mine." 

"  Then  don't  try  to  understand  it.     It  is  past  now." 

"  You  are  a  better  fellow  than  I  am, —  a  good  deal 
better,"  persisted  Nuggy.  "  I  don't  believe  I  would 
have  tried  to  save  you  under  the  same  circum- 
stances." 

"  Then  it  is  a  good  thing  that  I  am  myself  and 


314  ON   TO    PEKIN 

you  are  yourself,"  said  Gilbert,  not  knowing  how 
else  to  reply. 

"You  are  a  true  Christian,  Pennington, —  a  real, 
practical  Christian." 

"  Thank  you.  I  have  tried  to  be  so  —  even  though 
I  am  a  soldier." 

"Ninety-nine  men  out  of  a  hundred  would  have 
let  me  burn  up,"  continued  Nuggy,  with  a  deep 
shudder.  "  I  know  just  how  tight  I  was  at  that  win- 
dow. I  couldn't  budge,  and  I  was  suffering  the  tort- 
ures of  the  infernal  region.  I  was  sure  my  end  had 
come,  when  you  released  me." 

"  There  was  certainly  no  time  to  spare." 

"  Pennington,  after  this  I  am  going  to  be  a  differ- 
ent man  —  I  swear  it.  This  thing  has  opened  my 
eyes.  It  doesn't  pay  to — to  — ■well,  to  cheat  others, 
as  I've  been  trying  to  do.  I  was  going  to  try  to  get 
the  best  of  you  and  the  Bartletts,  but  I  shan't  try 
any  more.     It's  a  bad  business." 

"I  agree  with  you  on  that  point,  Polk.  The  man 
who  tries  to  do  wrong  is  bound  to  come  to  grief 
sooner  or  later." 

"Have  you  seen  the  Bartletts?" 

"Yes." 


GILBERT   RETURNS   GOOD   FOR   EVIL  315 

"  Then  you  know  why  I  am  here." 

"I  do." 

"  I  am  glad  of  it,  for  it  will  make  it  easier  for  me 
to  speak  of  what  is  in  my  mind.  I  suppose  you  have 
read  the  letters  that  were  taken  from  me." 

"  I  have." 

"  We  were  going  to  get  old  Bartlett  to  sell  out  for 
a  song  —  if  we  could.  I  was  to  prove  to  him  that 
the  Importing  Company  was  about  to  go  bankrupt." 

"  I  have  suspected  that  for  some  time." 

"The  Importing  Company  is  in  first-class  condi- 
tion and  making  money,"  went  on  Nuggy,  quickly,  as 
if  afraid  to  keep  back  the  information  for  fear  of  not 
being  able  to  free  his  mind  later. 

"  You  told  me  that  at  Manila." 

"  And  the  Bartlett  stock  is  worth  two  hundred 
cents  on  the  dollar." 

"And  what  of  the  Pennington  stock?"  put  in 
Gilbert,  quickly. 

"  The  Pennington  stock  is  worth  just  as  much  — 
and  there  is  at  least  sixteen  thousand  dollars'  worth 
of  it,"  was  the  answer,  which  made  the  young  lieu- 
tenant's heart  bound.  "  There,  the  cat  is  out  of  the 
bag  —  and  I  am  glad  of  it.     That  secret  has  lain  like 


316  ON   TO   PEKIN 

a  lump  of  lead  on  my  soul  ever  since  you  saved  my 
life." 

"  Sixteen  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  stock  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  worth  thirty-two  thousand  dollars  in  the 
money  market.  Pennington,  you  shall  have  what  is 
due  you,  even  if  I  have  to  force  my  father  into  giv- 
ing it  to  you." 

"  That  is  the  stock  my  father  placed  in  his  hands 
just  before  his  death?" 

"Yes." 

"How  did  you  learn  of  this?  Did  your  father 
tell  you?" 

Nuggy  Polk  hung  his  head  for  a  moment.  "No, 
he  didn't  tell  me.  I  was  at  his  private  safe  at  home 
one  day,  and  I  found  the  missing  certificates.  I  had 
had  a  row  with  father  over  some  money  matters ;  and, 
when  he  came  home,  I  threatened  to  expose  him  if  he 
didn't  give  me  what  I  wanted.  Ever  since  that  time 
we  have  worked  hand  in  glove  together,  and  he  has 
allowed  me  all  the  spending  money  I  wanted.  But 
that  is  past  now.  I  am  going  to  lead  a  straight  life, 
and  I  am  going  to  try  to  get  father  to  do  the  same." 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

BACK   TO   TAKTJ  —  CONCLUSION 

Now  that  he  had  confessed  so  much,  Nuggy  Polk 
seemed  anxious  to  relate  all  the  particulars ;  and  it 
was  a  good  hour  before  Gilbert  could  get  away  from 
the  sick  man.  By  that  time  Nuggy  was  very  weak, 
and  the  doctor  forbade  him  to  talk  longer. 

Gilbert  returned  to  the  encampment  with  a  heart 
that  was  as  light  as  a  feather.  He  now  knew  ex- 
actly how  matters  stood  with  the  Richmond  Import- 
ing Company ;  and  he  felt  certain  that  sooner  or 
later  he  should  come  into  every  dollar  which  had 
belonged  to  his  father's  estate. 

Nuggy  had  agreed  to  put  everything  into  writing ; 
and  this  document  was  drawn  up  two  days  later,  in 
the  presence  of  Gilbert,  Mrs.  Bartlett,  and  one  of  the 
prison  doctors.  At  this  time  Nuggy  was  feeling 
fairly  well,  and  the  doctor  said  that  it  was  likely  he 
would  be  as  well  as  ever  in  the  course  of  a  month  or 
six  weeks.  The  charge  made  against  him  by  the 
Bartletts  was  dropped. 

317 


318  ON   TO   PEKIN 

While  calling  upon  Nuggy,  Gilbert  asked  him 
about  Jerry  Nickerson,  and  was  told  that  Nickerson 
had  gone  back  to  Taku,  to  take  the  first  ship  he 
could  get  for  home.  "He  is  sick  of  affairs  here," 
said  Nuggy ;  "  and  as  soon  as  I  got  to  feeling  bad  he 
deserted  me.     I  never  want  to  see  him  again." 

Shortly  after  Gilbert  and  the  Bartletts  had 
obtained  Nuggy  Polk's  confession,  the  young  lieu- 
tenant was  ordered  to  Taku,  to  take  charge  of  some 
goods  which  were  arriving  by  transport.  He  jour- 
neyed by  rail  from  Tien-Tsin  to  Tongku,  and  was 
glad  to  note  that  the  country  was  now  free  from 
Boxers  and  Chinese  troops,  and  that  the  natives  were 
going  to  work  again,  almost  as  if  nothing  out  of  the 
ordinary  had  happened. 

"  This  campaign  is  about  over,"  he  reasoned.  "  The 
Chinese  have  been  taught  a  lesson;  and  they'll  be 
only  too  glad  to  negotiate,  through  Li  Hung  Chang, 
for  peace."     And  this  surmise  was  correct. 

Arriving  at  Taku,  almost  the  first  man  Gilbert 
met  was  Captain  Ponsberry  of  the  Columbia.  The 
captain  was  as  hale  and  hearty  as  ever,  but  rather 
doubtful  concerning  the  disposition  of  the  cargo  he 
had  on  board  of  his  vessel. 


BACK   TO   TAKIT  —  CONCLUSION  319 

"We  had  a  mighty  reesky  time  a-gittin'  here," 
said  the  captain.  "  Run  up  agin'  two  Chinese  junks 
full  o'  pirates;  but  we  showed  'em  a  clean  pair  o' 
heels." 

Gilbert  told  him  of  the  condition  of  affairs  at  Tien- 
Tsin,  and  of  how  he  could  find  Amos  Bartlett  and 
Nuggy  Polk.  The  next  day  the  captain  journeyed 
to  Tien-Tsin,  and  spent  two  days  with  the  Bartletts, 
paying  a  visit  to  Nuggy  Polk  each  day.  What  was 
said  and  done  never  reached  Gilbert's  ears  in  detail; 
but  later  on  he  found  out  that  the  whole  matter  had 
been  turned  over  to  Amos  Bartlett  for  adjustment, 
and  that  Nuggy  had  written  a  long  letter  to  his 
father  concerning  the  state  of  affairs.  This  letter 
came  as  a  thunderbolt  to  Ramsey  Polk ;  and  reach- 
ing him  as  it  did,  immediately  after  an  interview 
with  the  lawyer  Gilbert  had  appointed  to  take  up 
his  case,  he  found  himself  so  hedged  in  that  he  was 
compelled  to  bow  to  the  inevitable. 

"  There  has  been  a  great  mistake  made,"  he  wrote 
back.  "  I  am  willing  to  do  what  is  right,  and  both 
Mr.  Bartlett  and  Lieutenant  Pennington  shall  have 
all  that  is  coming  to  them.  I  hope  you  will  not 
make  the  whole  affair  public.     If  necessary,  I  will 


320  ON   TO  PEKIN 

resign  from  the  company."  And  this  he  did;  and 
other  men,  who  were  strictly  honest,  came  to  the 
head  of  the  concern. 

"  We  owe  you  a  great  deal,  Lieutenant  Penning- 
ton," said  Amos  Bartlett  one  day,  when  Gilbert  was 
calling  at  the  home  in  Tien-Tsin.  "  You  are  a  smart 
young  man." 

"  And  a  good  soldier,  too,"  put  in  Mrs.  Bartlett. 

"Yes,  and  the  best  of  it  is  that  he  is  one  of  our 
American  soldiers,"  put  in  Jennie.  "I  believe  all 
our  American  soldiers  are  brave." 

At  this  Gilbert  felt  compelled  to  smile.  "  If  they 
are  not,  they  ought  to  be,"  he  answered.  "  It's  an 
honor  to  fight  for  Uncle  Sam." 

"It's  a  pity  Mr.  Polk  didn't  become  a  soldier," 
observed  Mrs.  Bartlett. 

"  He  has  already  told  me  that  he  is  going  to  join 
the  army  just  as  soon  as  he  is  well  enough,"  answered 
Gilbert. 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,"  came  from  Amos  Bartlett. 
"  It  will  probably  be  the  making  of  him." 

Here  let  us  draw  to  a  close  this  tale  of  adventures 
in  China.     We  have  been  with  Gilbert  during  an  ex- 


BACK  TO  TAKU  —  CONCLUSION  321 

citing  time  in  Manila,  along  on  an  interesting  jour- 
ney to  Nagasaki  and  Taku;  and  we  have  followed 
the  young  lieutenant's  stirring  adventures  while  the 
Boxers  and  Chinese  troops  were  being  driven  first 
from  Tien-Tsin,  then  from  Peitsang,  Ho-Si-Wu,  and 
Tung-Chow,  and  lastly  from  Pekin  and  the  Imperial 
City  itself.  He  had  had  no  easy  time  of  it ;  and  now, 
when  Pekin  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Allies,  and  the 
diplomats  of  the  various  nations  were  trying  to 
arrange  for  permanent  peace,  he  was  perfectly 
willing  to  rest,  and  to  attend  to  the  personal  affairs 
which  had  cropped  up  so  unexpectedly.  Many 
adventures  were  still  in  store  for  him,  which  will 
be  related  in  another  volume,  entitled :  "  Under 
the  Mikado's  Flag;  or,  Young  Soldiers  of  Fortune." 
In  this  tale  we  shall  also  meet  many  other  old 
friends,  including  the  Russell  brothers  and  those 
faithful  comrades  in  arms,  Carl  Stummer  and  Dan 
Casey. 

Gilbert  did  not  forget  that  Captain  Banner  was  on 
a  sick-bed;  and  he  went  to  see  his  superior  officer 
often,  and  also  the  other  men  of  Company  A  who 
had  dropped  out  of  the  ranks  for  one  reason  or  an- 
other.    He  was  glad  to  find  the  captain  improving, 


322  ON  TO   PEKIN 

although,  it  was  doubtful  if  the  officer  would  assume 
his  position  for  a  long  time  to  come. 

"  But  never  mind,"  said  the  captain  to  Gilbert  one 
day.  "  I  know  my  company  is  in  good  hands.  The 
boys  tell  me  you  led  them  splendidly." 

"  I  only  did  my  duty,"  answered  the  young  lieu- 
tenant. "  I  came  here  to  fight,  not  to  sit  still  and 
think  about  it.  But  I  am  glad  we  have  captured 
Pekin." 

"  Yes,  so  am  I.  It  will  be  a  lesson  that  China 
will  never  forget.  After  this,  foreign  flags  will 
have  a  new  meaning  to  the  Celestials ;  and  our 
ministers  and  missionaries  will  come  and  go  without 
molestation." 

At  the  end  of  the  week  Gilbert  was  ordered  back 
to  Pekin.  The  great  capital  was  now  comparatively 
quiet,  and  the  shops  were  beginning  to  open  once 
more  for  business. 

"  I  don't  believe  we'll  have  to  remain  in  China 
much  longer,"  said  Major  Morris  to  Gilbert.  "  The 
war  is  over." 

"  Let  us  hope  so,"  answered  Gilbert.  "  But,  even 
if  it  isn't,  I  don't  believe  we'll  have  any  more  lively 
times  than  we  had  when  the  cry  was :  On  to  Pekin  ! " 


SOLDIERS  OF  FORTUNE  SERIES 

By  EDWARD  STRATEMEYER 

VOLUME  ONE 

ON  TO  PEKIN 

Or  Old  Glory  in  China. 

Cloth    330  pages    Illustrated  by  A.  B.  Shute    $1.25 

THE  hero,  Gilbert  Pennington,  goes  from  the  Philippines  with  the 
Ninth  Regiment  to  take  part  in  the  rescue  of  the  beleaguered  Brit- 
ish Embassy  at  Pekin  by  the  international  forces.  Mr.  Stratemeyer  has 
risen  to  the  occasion  by  giving,  in  addition  to  one  of  his  very  best  stories, 
a  store  of  information  concerning  China  and  the  Chinese,  conveyed  in  a 
natural  and  entertaining  manner. 

The  demands  of  boy  readers  are  peculiar,  and  the  author  who  can  sat- 
isfy them,  not  once  or  twice,  but  aniformly,  must  possess  rare  ability  in 
an  extremely  difficult  field.  Such  an  author  is  Edward  Stratemeyer.  — 
Sunday  News,  Newark,  N  y. 

VOLUME  TWO 

UNDER  THE  MIKADOS  FLAG 

Or  Young  Soldiers  of  Fortune 

370  pages    Cloth    Illustrated  by  A.  B.  Shute    Price  $1.25 

t(  T  TNDER  the  Mikado's  Flag"  relates  the  adventures  of  two  young 
vJ  Americans  in  Korea  and  Manchuria  during  the  outbreak  of  the 
great  war  between  Russia  and  Japan,  one  of  the  leading  characters  being 
Gilbert  Pennington,  the  hero  of  "On  to  Pekin,"  and  the  other,  Ben 
Russell,  who  with  his  brothers,  Larry  and  Walter,  is  so  well  known  to  the 
thousands  of  readers  of  the  famous  "Old  Glory  Series."  It  closes  with 
the  great  Battle  of  Liao-Yang,  and  is  as  valuable  for  the  information 
conyeyed  as  it  is  interesting  as  a  story. 

Mr.  Stratemeyer  is  undoubtedly  improving  very  greatly  on  the  average 
book  for  boys.  —  Star,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

He  knows  how  to  attract  and  hold  boy  readers,,  — -  Evening  Standard^ 
Afcw  Bedford,  Mass. 


SOLDIERS  OF  FORTUNE  SERIES 

By   EDWARD  STRATEMEYER 

VOLUME  THREE 

AT  THE  FALL  OF  TORT  ARTHUR 

Or  A  Young  American  in  the  Japanese  Navy 

300  pages     Illustrated  by  A.  B.  Shute     Price  $1.25 

THIS  story  relates,  primarily,  the  adventures  of  Larry  Russell, 
who  is  on  board  his  old  ship,  the  Columbia,  which  is  carry- 
ing a  cargo  for  the  Japanese  government.  The  young  sailor  joins 
the  Japanese  navy,  and  under  Admiral  Togo  assists  at  the  bombard- 
ment of  Port  Arthur.  Life  in  the  Japanese  navy  is  described  in 
detail,  and  also  life  in  Port  Arthur  during  the  siege  and  bombard- 
ment, which  has  few  parallels  in  history. 

"  At  the  Fall  of  Port  Arthur"  is  very  well  told.  —  Chronicle,  San  Francisco, 
A  rattling  good  story  for  boys.  —  Republican,  Denver,  Col. 

VOLUME  FOUR 

UNDER  TOGO  FOR  JAPAN 

Or  Three  Young  Americans  on  Land  and  Sea 

310  pages     Illustrated  by  A.  B.  Shute     12mo     Cloth,  1.25 

THE  "  Soldiers  of  Fortune  Series  "  is  a  continuation  of  the  famous 
"Old  Glory  Series,"  and  enjoys  equal  popularity.  The  prin- 
cipal characters  are  Ben  and  Larry  Russell,  Gilbert  Pennington, 
and  the  fine  old  gunner,  Luke  Striker,  all  of  whom  are  well  known 
to  thousands  of  readers.  The  climax  of  the  book  naturally  deals 
with  the  battle  of  the  Sea  of  Japan  and  Admiral  Togo's  wonderful 
victory,  in  which  Larry  and  Luke  Striker  bear  an  honorable  part. 
The  fortunes  of  Ben  and  Gilbert  Pennington  on  land  also  furnish 
much  that  is  of  interest. 

The  youth  who  finds  a  good  story  of  war  adventure  on  the  sea  to  his  liking  will  gain 
his  heart's  desire  in  "  Under  Togo  for  Japan."  —  Philadelphia  Press. 

Young  readers  will  find  the  volume  entertaining  from  first  to  last.  —  News,  Balti' 
tnore,  Md. 

Will  undoubtedly  prove  a  favorite  with  the  boys.  — Advertiser,  Newark,  N.y. 

No  more  popular  book  for  boys  could  be  imagined  just  at  this  time.  —  Christian  En* 
deavor  World. 


DAVE  PORTER  SERIES 

By  EDWARD  STRATEMEYER 
12mo    Cloth    Illustrated    $1.25  per  volume 


Mr.  Stratemeyer  has  seldom  introduced  a  more 
popular  hero  than  Dave  Porter.  He  is  a  typical  boy, 
manly,  brave,  always  ready  for  a  good  time  if  it  can  be 
obtained  in  an  honorable  way, —  Wisconsin,  Milwaukee, 
Wis. 

"  Edward  Stratemeyer's  '  Dave  Porter'  has  become 
exceedingly  popular." — Boston  Globe. 

"Dave  and  his  friends  are  nice,  manly  chaps." — 
Times-Democrat,  Ne-w  Orleans. 


DAVE  PORTER  AT  OAK  HALL 

Or  the  Schooldays  of  an  American  Boy 
DAVE  PORTER  IN  THE  SOUTH  SEAS 

Or  The  Strange  Cruise  of  the  Stormy  Petrel 
DAVE  PORTER'S  RETURN  TO  SCHOOL 

Or  Winning  the  Medal  of  Honor 
DAVE  PORTER  IN  THE  FAR  NORTH 

Or  The  Pluck  of  an  American  Schoolboy 

DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

Or  For  the  Honor  of  Oak  Hall 
DAVE  PORTER  AT  STAR  RANCH 

Or  The  Cowboy's  Secret 
DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  RIVALS 

Or  the  Chums  and  Foes  of  Oak  Hall 


LOTHROP,  LEE  &  SHEPARD  CO.,  Publishers,  Boston 


THE  LAKEPORT  SERIES 

By  EDWARD  STRATEMEYER 
12mo    Cloth    Illustrated    $1.25  per  volume 


"  The  author  of  the  Lakeport  Series,  Mr.  Edward 
Stratemeyer,  is  well  known  for  his  delightful  boys' 
stories." — Philadelphia  Ledger. 

"  The  Lakeport  Series,  by  Edward  Stratemeyer,  is 
the  lineal  descendant  of  the  better  class  of  boys'  books 
of  a  generation  ago."  —  Christian  Advocate,  New 
York. 

"The  Lakeport  Series  will  be  fully  as  popular  as 
the  author's  Dave  Porter  Series." — San  Francisco 
Call. 


THE  GUN  CLUB  BOYS  OF  LAKEPORT 

Or  The  Island  Camp 

THE  BASEBALL  BOYS  OF  LAKEPORT 

Or  The  Winning  Run 

THE  BOAT  CLUB  BOYS  OF  LAKEPORT 

Or  The  Water  Champions 

THE  FOOTBALL  BOYS  OF  LAKEPORT 

Or  More  Goals  Than  One 

THE  AUTOMOBILE  BOYS  OF  LAKEPORT 
Or  A  Run  for  Fun  and  Fame 


LOTHROP,  LEE  &  SHEPARD  CO.,  Publishers,  Boston 


